Argentina and Lionel Messi face Croatia on Tuesday night in a World Cup semi-final that pits South American flair against the guile of Luka Modric and a remarkable fighting spirit.

In the second semi-final on Wednesday, reigning champions France take on giant-killing Morocco, the first African team ever to reach the last four of a World Cup.

But first all eyes will be on the cavernous Lusail Stadium at 10:00 pm local time (1:00 am Bangladesh time), where Messi, now 35, will attempt to guide Argentina into the final for the second time in eight years against the beaten finalists in 2018.

Messi, who suffered defeat to Germany in the 2014 final, is desperate to crown an extraordinary career by finally winning the World Cup and emulating another Argentinian legend, the late Diego Maradona.

The Paris Saint-Germain forward was a pivotal figure in Friday's stormy quarter-final win over the Netherlands, when a record 18 yellow cards were shown and players from both sides were involved in a melee as the referee fought to regain control.

The match ended with Argentina players appearing to taunt their distraught Dutch opponents before sprinting away to celebrate after a penalty shoot-out win.

Even the normally mild-mannered Messi was caught up in the bad blood, shouting abuse at Dutch players while he was being interviewed after the game.

Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni defended his players' conduct in an eve-of-game news conference on Monday, insisting they had nothing to apologise for.

"The game the other day was played in the right way by both teams. That is football," said the 44-year-old Argentina coach.

"I don't buy this idea that we don't know how to win. The game was played in the right way."