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Hosts Russia, who haven’t appeared in a World Cup semifinal since 1966 when they were the Soviet Union, will attempt to continue their fairy-tale run when they take on an undefeated Croatia side in the quarterfinals Saturday in Sochi.
In the United States, the game is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. ET and will be broadcast on both Fox (English broadcast) and Telemundo (Spanish broadcast). If you don’t have cable or can’t get to a TV, you can watch the game–and every other World Cup game–live on your computer, phone or streaming device by signing up for one of the following cable-free, live-TV streaming services:
In addition to a Netflix-like on-demand streaming library, Hulu also offers a bundle of live TV channels, including both Fox (live in most markets) and Telemundo. You can sign up for “Hulu with Live TV” right here, and you can then watch every World Cup game live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Hulu app.
If you can’t watch the game live, “Hulu with Live TV” also comes with 50 hours of Cloud DVR storage (with the ability to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of DVR space and the ability to fast forward through commercials), allowing you to watch any game after it airs.
Fox (live in most markets) and Telemundo are both included in the “Fubo Premier” bundle, which has a channel package that is largely tailored towards international soccer fans and also has World Cup live streams available in 4K. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial right here, and you can then watch any World Cup game live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch the game live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch any World Cup game up to three days after it airs even if you forgot to record it.
Fox (but not Telemundo) is included in the “Sling Blue” package. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial of both, and you can then watch any World Cup game live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch a game live, you can get 50 hours of cloud DVR storage as an additional add-on.
Preview
Russia had four losses–including one to Austria–and three draws–including one at home to Turkey–in their seven matches leading up to the World. Now, following a dramatic penalty-shootout win against Spain, they’re in the quarterfinals for the first time since 1970.
It’s a reminder of either just how little separation there is between teams at this level, or how big of an advantage it is to play at home, or maybe a little bit of both. Whatever the reasoning, the Russians are much further than anyone was expecting.
And once again on Saturday, they’ll be the underdogs.
Croatia has been a real force this tournament. After going 3-0-0 with a plus-six goal differential in what was a very solid group with Argentina, Nigeria and Iceland, they survived a battle against Denmark in the Round of 16, winning via penalty kicks. Zlatko Dalic’s team has plenty of veteran firepower in the attack with the likes of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic, and they’ve been really solid defensively, allowing just two goals all tournament.
Ultimately, Croatian seems like a strong bet to return to the World Cup semis for the first time since they finished third in France in 1998, but as we’ve seen already this tournament, the hosts aren’t going to go down without a fight.
The winner will play Wednesday, July 11, in Moscow.