WELCOME TO DAY 4 OF THE 2022 WORLD CUP!!! Day 3 brought us one of the biggest upsets in tournament history as Lionel Messi’s Argentina lost to Saudi Arabia, proving that this World Cup could be a lot more surprising than usual and every game is worth a watch. Day 4 is a very interesting one, with three of the favorites making their debuts and a whole lot of Barcelona players in action.

The day begins at the venue of the tournament’s opening match at Al Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, with 2018 finalists Croatia playing a fascinating Group F opener against Morocco. Group F is without a doubt the most interesting one in the tournament, with all four teams coming into this one with realistic chances of qualifying. Morocco have a team filled with European talent all over the squad, and have a real shot at beating a Croatia side that still has Luka Modric but haven’t done a great job of evolving and rebuilding after their dream run in Russia.

The next two games are the openers in Group E: the second match of the day brings the debut of Germany, who come into this one with the usual high expectations thanks to their high number of Bayern Munich players and a strong coaching job by Hansi Flick since taking over 18 months ago. Germany are young and dangerous, and they also have a Barça player in goalkeeper Marc-André Ter Stegen who will watch the whole tournament from the bench unless something happens to Manuel Neuer.

Game 3 of Day 4 is the much anticipated debut of Luis Enrique’s Spain, who come into the tournament with a lot of hope and pressure to build upon their run to the semi-final of last year’s Euros. They have a Barça legend as manager and a whopping eight current Blaugrana stars in the squad, and the likes of Pedri, Gavi and Ansu Fati might prove crucial to La Roja’s chances. Their debut is against Costa Rica, who are always a brutal opponent for everyone at the World Cup thanks in large part to goalkeeper Keylor Navas who always goes to another level playing for his country.

Finally, it’s time for Belgium to finally reach their potential at the international level as they begin their World Cup journey against Canada in Al Rayyan. This has the potential to be one of the finest games of the group stage as both sides love to play fast, attacking, entertaining football. The Canadians will have their talisman for this one as Alphonso Davies recovered from injury in time for the opener, and Canada absolutely dominated the CONCACAF Qualifiers and could easily be the surprise of the tournament. Belgium have all of their famous stars back for one more international run, and Kevin De Bruyne is always a show.

This promises to be a very fun day of World Cup football, and you’re welcome to join us to follow and comment all the action. Vamos!

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LIVE BLOG

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BELGIUM 1-0 CANADA

LINEUPS

Belgium XI: Courtois; Dendoncker, Alderweireld, Vertonghen; Castagne, Witsel, Tielemans, Carrasco; De Bruyne, Batshuayi, Hazard (3-4-3)

Canada XI: Borjan; Johnston, Vitoria, Miller; Hoilett, Hutchinson, Eustaquio, Laryea; Buchanan, David, Davies (3-4-3)

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Group F, Matchday 1

Date/Time: Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 10pm local time, 8pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 7pm GMT (UK), 2pm ET, 11am PT (USA), 12.30am IST (India, Thursday)

Venue: Ahmad Bin Ali Stadium, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Referee: Janny Sikazwe (ZAM)

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FOX (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), BBC One (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Gol Mundial (Spain), others

How to watch online: FOX Sports App, Sling TV (USA), BBC iPlayer (UK), others

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SPAIN 7-0 COSTA RICA

LINEUPS

Spain XI: Simón; Azpilicueta, Rodri, Laporte, Alba; Gavi, Busquets, Pedri; Ferran, Asensio, Olmo (4-3-3)

Costa Rica XI: Navas; Martínez, Fuller, Duarte, Calvo, Oviedo; Campbell, Borges, Tejeda, Bennette; Contreras (5-4-1)

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Group E, Matchday 1

Date/Time: Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 7pm local time, 5pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 4pm GMT (UK), 11am ET, 8am PT (USA), 9.30pm IST (India)

Venue: Al Thumama Stadium, Doha, Qatar

Referee: Mohammed Abdulla (UAE)

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FOX (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), ITV 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), TVE La 1, Gol Mundial (Spain), others

How to watch online: FOX Sports App, Sling TV (USA), ITV Hub (UK), others

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GERMANY 1-2 JAPAN

LINEUPS

Germany XI: Neuer; Süle, Rüdiger, Schlotterbeck, Raum; Kimmich, Gundogan; Gnabry, Musiala, Havertz; Müller (4-2-3-1)

Japan XI: Gonda; Sakai, Yoshida, Itakura, Nagatomo; Endo, Tanaka; Ito, Kamada, Kubo; Maeda (4-2-3-1)

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Group E, Matchday 1

Date/Time: Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 4pm local time, 2pm CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 1pm GMT (UK), 8am ET, 5am PT (USA), 6.30pm IST (India)

Venue: Khalifa International Stadium, Ar-Rayyan, Qatar

Referee: Iván Barton (SLV)

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FS1 (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), ITV 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Gol Mundial (Spain), others

How to watch online: FOX Sports App, Sling TV (USA), ITV Hub (UK), others

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MOROCCO 0-0 CROATIA

LINEUPS

Morocco XI: Bounou; Hakimi, Aguerd, Saiss, Mazraoui; Ounahi, Amrabat, Amallah; Ziyech, En-Nesyri, Boufal (4-3-3)

Croatia XI: Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Vlasic, Kramaric, Perisic (4-3-3)

MATCH INFO

Competition/Round: 2022 FIFA World Cup, Group F, Matchday 1

Date/Time: Wednesday, November 23, 2022, 1pm local time, 11am CET/WAT (Barcelona & Nigeria), 10am GMT (UK), 5am ET, 2am PT (USA), 3.30pm IST (India)

Venue: Al Bayt Stadium, Al Khor, Qatar

Referee: Fernando Andrés Rapallini (ARG)

HOW TO WATCH, STREAM 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP

How to watch on TV: FS1 (USA), TSN 1 (Canada), ITV 1 (UK), SuperSport (Nigeria), Sports18 (India), Gol Mundial (Spain), others

How to watch online: FOX Sports App, Sling TV (USA), ITV Hub (UK), others

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Matchday Thread Rules

We don’t have a lot of rules here, but there are a few things to keep in mind when joining our matchday threads:

Even if the referee sucks or we lose the game, watch the swearing. It’s just unnecessary. Also, don’t discuss illegal streaming links. Those who do it will be warned, and those who post links will be instantly banned. Finally, be nice to each other. This is a Barcelona community and we don’t need to offend one another.

Have fun with the game! Forever and ever, no matter the competition, VISCA EL BARÇA!