Portugal will be looking to continue their fine form when they travel to Croatia for their final Group A1 fixture in the UEFA Nations League. The Portuguese have been levels above the other teams and should complete the double over Croatia, who have been well below their best.
Croatia head into Monday’s clash off the back of 1-0 defeat to Scotland in their previous UNL fixture. They struggled to break down the stubborn and gritty Scots and ultimately lost their way once Petar Sucic got sent off in the first half.
Performances like that have been the norm for Croatia as they are winless in their last two matches. Zlatko Dalic’s men threw away the lead in a 3-3 draw with Poland prior to the defeat in Scotland.
In contrast to Croatia’s struggles, Portugal have revelled in their status as favourites in Group A4. Roberto Martinez’s men are unbeaten so far, with four wins from five matches.
Portugal have shown plenty of attacking quality in the UNL especially with their 5-1 victory over Poland. However, they are often unconvincing at the back having conceded in four of their last five UNL matches.
How the bookies view it: Upper hand for Portugal
Portugal have the upper hand among the bookies and are priced at 13/10 by Betfred to claim the win. Croatia are considered outsiders with a home win valued at 11/5 Betfred, 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.
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
Anything else catch the eye?
Neither team has shown much solidity at the back and both attacks could be backed to get on the score sheet on Monday at 11/8 with Betfred. There have been over 2.5 goals in the last four meetings and a repeat is priced at 10/11 with Betfred, who are offering 9/4 for over 3.5 goals.
Portugal’s knack for grabbing multiple goals means they are likely to score in both halves at 23/10 with Betfred.
This UEFA Nations League match between Croatia and Portugal will be played on Nov 18, 2024 and kick off at 20:45. Check below for our tipsters best Croatia vs Portugal prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
