Croatia will look to continue their unbeaten run in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers when they welcome Slovenia to Stadion Poljud for a Group H clash. The 2018 World Cup finalists are well on course to progress to the tournament in Qatar and should have the edge on Tuesday.
Croatia are coming off a hard fought 1-0 victory over Slovakia in their previous qualifying fixture. They frustrated by the Slovaks for much of the contest before Marcelo Brozovic struck the winner four minutes from time.
It was a welcome return to winning ways for the Croats, who were held to a 0-0 draw by Russia in their previous fixture. Zlatko Dalic’s men are unbeaten in the qualifiers since suffering a 1-0 defeat to Slovenia in their opening fixture and are joint top of the group with the Russians on 10 points.
Having been on the road in their last two qualifying matches, Croatia will be pleased to be back at home, where they saw off Cyprus 1-0 and claimed a 3-0 victory over Malta. They have also maintained a solid defensive record in the qualifiers, keeping clean sheets in their last four matches.
Slovenia were also victorious in their previous qualifying fixture as they triumphed 1-0 over Malta. They struggled to find their rhythm in attack but ultimately secured the win through Sandi Lovric's first half penalty.
It was the first win in the qualifiers for Slovenia since beating Croatia in their opening fixture. Matjaz Kek's men are third in the group, three points behind Russia and Croatia.
Slovenia have been poor travellers in the qualifiers, losing both their away matches. They were beaten 2-1 by Russia before suffering a shock 1-0 defeat in Cyprus.
How the bookies view it
The bookies have Croatia as favourites among the bookies with SBK offering 11/19 for a home win. The same firm is offering 28/5 for a Slovenia victory while a draw is set at odds of 3/1 with Unibet.
Head to head
The 1-0 win in their opening fixture of the qualifiers is Slovenia's only victory against Croatia. The Croats have claimed six wins and three draws in the nine previous matches before suffering the defeat in March.
Players to watch
Croatia's defence has been impressive in the qualifiers with clean sheets in their last four matches. Domagoj Vida and Dejan Lovren often partner in central defence and will be targeting another clean sheet at evens with Paddy Power.
The Croats have enough quality to trouble the Slovenia backline with Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric carrying major goal threats. Paddy Power has Perisic at 9/4 to score anytime while Kramaric is priced at 7/4 by Sport Nation in the same market.
Anything else catch the eye?
With Croatia likely to keep a clean sheet in Tuesday, they could be backed to earn a win to nil at 14/10 with SBK. BTTS NO could also be considered at 3/4 with BetVictor.
A -1 handicap for Croatia could also be on the cards at 8/7 with SBK.
This World Cup match between Croatia and Slovenia will be played on Sep 7, 2021 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Croatia vs Slovenia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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