It is a clash between the top two in Group A1 of the UEFA Nations League as Croatia host Denmark on Thursday. Both teams have impressed in the competition so far and appear evenly matched heading into this one.
Croatia made a disappointing start to their UEFA Nations League campaign as they suffered a 3-0 home defeat to Austria in their opening fixture. However, they now appear to have turned things around and are unbeaten in their last three matches in the competition.
A lot of the key players for Croatia are ageing but their experience has been vital in turning things around in the UNL. That experience came to the fore in their last outing in the competition as they claimed a 1-0 victory over France with Luka Modric’s first half penalty proving the difference.
The strange thing about Croatia in recent times is that they have done their best work on the road. Zlatko Dalic’s men are winless in their last five home matches in the UNL, losing to Austria in their opening fixture in this year’s competition before playing out a 1-1 draw with France in their last home outing.
Danish football appears to be enjoying a renaissance in recent times which began with a semi-final run at Euro 2020. They also dominated their World Cup qualifying group and are two points clear at the top of the standings in the UNL.
Denmark have only lost once in Group A1 of the UNL which ironically was a 1-0 home defeat to Croatia. They have won their other three matches and claimed a 2-0 victory over world champions France in their previous fixture with Jonas Wind and Andreas Skov Olsen getting the goals.
The Danes have a solid away record in the UNL, suffering just one defeat in their last seven matches on the road. Kasper Hjulmand’s men have won five times in that run, including victories in France and England.
How the bookies view it
Croatia have the edge among the bookies and are priced at 6/4 by Unibet to claim the win. A victory for Denmark is valued at 9/4 with Unibet while a draw is also set at odds of 9/4 with bet365.
Recent head to head
Croatia have already beaten Denmark in this year’s UNL, claiming a 1-0 victory in the reverse fixture. Both teams also played out a 1-1 draw during the knockout stage of the Russia 2018 World Cup with the Croats eventually progressing on penalties.
Players to watch
Andrej Kramaric has been among the goals in recent times and was on target in the draw with France in their previous home fixture. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime at 2/1 with Paddy Power.
In the absence of Andreas Cornelius and Jonas Wind, Andreas Skov Olsen will be the one to watch for Denmark. The striker was on target in the win over France last time out and is priced at 7/2 with Paddy Power to find the net on Thursday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Croatia and Denmark have attackers that know their way to goal and both teams could be backed to score 10/11 with William Hill. Over 2.5 goals can also be considered at 13/10 with Unibet.
The Croats have scored a penalty in two of their last three UNL matches and could be set for a repeat at 11/2 with bet365.
This UEFA Nations League match between Croatia and Denmark will be played on Sep 22, 2022 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Croatia vs Denmark prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.