⚽Croatia vs Portugal
⏰UEFA Nations League, KO: 20:45 Nov 18, 2024, Stadion Poljud
Croatia go head-to-head against Portugal on Monday. Read our Predictions and Betting Tips with Match Preview, Head-to-head stats (h2h) and Team Form Analysis.
Our prediction for this Nations League match:
All eyes will be on Stadion Poljud when Croatia and Portugal square off against each other in a highly-anticipated Nations League game. The Croats aim to recover from a 1-0 loss to Scotland and they are likely to fight tooth and nail against Portugal. Both Andrej Kramaric and Petar Sucic are banned for the match, while Kristijan Jakic should miss out with injury. Both Marko Pjaca and Ivan Perisic are pushing for a start.
A Selecao, on the other hand, rolled over Poland 5-1 in their last group game, with the team clinching top position in the standings. As both Croatia and Portugal should be happy with one point from Monday’s clash, we are tempted to put our money on draw. All Vitinha, Samu Costa, Joao Felix, and Trincao are in line for a spot in the starting XI as Roberto Martinez is expected to shuffle his pack.
How the bookies view it: Upper hand for Portugal
Portugal have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 13/10 by JILIPARK to claim the win. Croatia are considered outsiders with a home win valued at 11/5 777PUB, who are also offering odds of 23/10 for a draw.
Head to head: Portugal often superior
Portugal have a 7-1 advantage with one draw from nine previous matches against Croatia. The 2019 UNL champions have also won three of the last four meetings and triumphed 2-1 in the reverse fixture back in September.
Highlighted Player (Luka Modric):
Luka Modric is regarded as one of the best central midfielders in world football. The Croatian ace is a product of Dinamo Zagreb’s youth school and it has to be noted that he played 94 league games for the Modri between 2003 and 2008. In 2008 he signed a six-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £16.5 million.
Luka made his Tottenham debut on 16 August, 2008 in a 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough at Riverside Stadium. The Croatian star scored only 13 goals in 127 league appearances for the Spurs, but he is well known for his brilliant passing. In 2012 he signed for Real Madrid for a fee of £30 million and he made his debut against Barcelona in the 2012 Spanish Super Cup, return leg.
Modric quickly established himself as a first-team regular and, no doubt, he helped the capital club win two Champions League trophies (2013/2014, 2015/2016). You should bear in mind that he was named Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014.
Highlighted Team (Portugal):
Portugal started competing at the biggest stage in the 1930’s, but they had to wait for almost seventy years to establish themselves as a top side. The third place finish at the 1966 World Cup was a one-off result as the Selecao needed another 40 years to get past the group stage, reaching the semi-finals at the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Portugal enjoyed more success on the continent, finishing third at the 1984, 2000 and 2012 European Championships, while losing in the final to Greece at the Euro 2004 that was held on home soil. Despite being able to count on one of world’s best ever footballers Cristiano Ronaldo, the Selecao have yet to lift a major trophy and they will not have too many opportunities to do so before the Real Madrid superstar retires.
Eusebio remains the most famous footballer to have played for Portugal, while Luis Figo, Simao Sabrosa, Pedro Pauleta, Rui Costa and Nani are also worth mention. The Selecao currently boast an impressive pool of world-class talent and it should not be long before they end the trophy drought.
Players to watch: Ronaldo the man
Portugal are still driven by starman Cristiano Ronaldo, who has six goals in the UNL so far, including a brace against Poland. Bruno Fernandes also gets his share going forward and can help the visitors get goals.
Croatia also have some attacking quality of their own, with Andrej Kramaric and Mario Pasalic likely to be the ones to watch. Both men could combine to produce over 0.5 goals for the Croats at 4/11 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Croatia will be without Susic, who is ruled out after getting sent off in Scotland. Pasalic and Nikola Vlasic are pushing to start on Monday while Luka Modric is expected to continue in midfield.
Portugal are likely to ring in the changes on Monday with Vitinha, Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo all pushing to start. However, mainstays like Ronaldo and Fernandes should retain their place in the team.
Croatia: Kotarski, Jakic, Sutalo, Caleta-Car, Gvardiol, Modric, Kovacic, Sucic, Pasalic, Vlasic, Kramaric
Portugal: Diogo Costa, Cancelo, Silva, Veiga, Nuno Mendes, Neves, Vitinha, Felix, Fernandes, Leao, Ronaldo
Croatia vs Portugal Prediction
The top spot in Group 1 will be up for grabs on the final day of the campaign as Croatia chase Portugal in the head-to-head encounter at Stadion Poljud in Split.
Portugal dominated the section with three wins in three maiden affairs, including a 2-1 opening game success against Croatia.
They slipped up last month in Gameweek No 4, drawing 0-0 away in Scotland, and leaving the Croats with a chance to catch them in the November window.
The visitors have enjoyed an impeccable Euro qualifying campaign with ten wins in ten outings but their Euro run came to an end in the quarter-final after an unlucky quarter-final exit on penalties at the hands of France.
Head coach Roberto Martinez can be satisfied with attacking displays his men have put up in the first three rounds in this Nations League group as Portugal notched seven goals along the way.
The Croats did the same but they also allowed at least a goal in all but one of four matches ahead of the November cycle.
They shipped three goals in a crazy 3-3 stalemate away in Poland last month.
Croatia’s back line has been all over the place this year in general. Vatreni conceded six goals in three group-phase affairs at the Euro this summer.
They kept just one clean sheet in the previous seven matches in all competitions. This will be the music to the ears of Cristiano Ronaldo and company.
Also, Croatia won only two of four home matches in the Euro qualifying campaign and they did not quite dominate in the Nations League fixtures so far.
The main pick has to be Portugal’s win at the 2.30 odds while we will also opt for the Over 2.5 goals FT pick at the 1.90 odds.
This scenario occurred in each of the previous four H2H meetings between these outfits. Speaking of those, Portugal have seven wins in the last nine encounters with the Croats.
