The World Cup 2018 runner-ups Croatia need to improve their performances in the Euro Cup Qualification. In order to ensure a place in the Euro 2020, they will need to do well against Wales on Saturday afternoon. They’re playing at home, at the Stadion Gradski Vrt in Osijek and they’re big favorites. Will they be able to win all three points? Find it out in Croatia vs Wales prediction and betting tips!
Croatia
We’ll start this Croatia vs Wales prediction by saying that Croatia haven’t been in a too great form lately. They’ve lost two out of their previous three matches. First, they lost to England in the UEFA Nations League, although the match was played more than six months ago. But, the match they played in March in the EC qualifiers against Hungary, was also a defeat. And in-between those two games, they beat Azerbaijan 2:1 at home.
They’re not in a good run, but they definitely have the manpower to beat Wales, as well as all the other teams from their EC Qualification group. Their squad is missing a couple of players who played in the WC 2018 final, but they definitely have a stronger squad than Wales. Luka Modric is in the team, same as Ivan Perisic and Mateo Kovacic.
In the final third, their manager has picked only two players, namely Andrej Kramaric and Bruno Petkovic. Kramaric has a fantastic season behind him, scoring 17 goals for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga. Petkovic, who’s probably going to start the match from the bench, is a Dinamo Zagreb player, who’s scored 9 goals last season.
Wales
Croatia definitely have a powerful team, so Wales will have to work extra hard in order to get anything out of this game. They probably realize that the most they can get in Osijek is a draw, which is why they’re expected to play very defensively. They’ve managed to keep a clean sheet in the only EC qualifier they played so far. The game against Slovakia ended 1:0 in their favor.
Speaking of Wales’ defensive performances, they’ve been really good at the back for a long time. The only time they allowed more than two goals per game since 2016 was in a friendly game with Spain. They haven’t been too impressive in the attack, but this doesn’t mean they don’t have some quality players there.
Gareth Bale is their best player, even though the Real Madrid star wasn’t too impressive last season. Still, this guy needs only one moment of brilliance to win a game on his own. Croatia will have to be extra careful not to give him too much space. But, can Bale and his teammates get anything from this match? Scroll down to Croatia vs Wales betting tips to find out!
Possible Lineups
Croatia
Kalinic – Vida, Lovren, Jedvaj, Benkovic – Brozovic, Kovacic, Modric, Perisic, Badelj – Kramaric
Wales
Hennessey – Williams, Mepham, Roberts, Davies – Smith, Allen, Wilson, James, Brooks – Bale
Croatia vs Wales Prediction
Croatia are obviously big favorites in this game. After all, they have a squad that’s much, much stronger than the squad of Wales. However, the visiting team is famous for being excellent at defending, which is why Croatia will probably have to work really hard in order to score at least a goal.
The fact that Croatia manager decided to bring with him only two proper strikers means that they probably have no intention of attacking with all they got. Instead, they probably plan to control the match and keep the Welsh away from their goal.
Croatia vs Wales Betting Tips
- Croatia @1.57 (Unibet)
- Under 2.5 Goals @1.65 (bwin)
- Correct Score 1:0 @5.75 (bwin)