Croatia vs Czech Republic prediction: EUROPE: World Championship – Qualification betting tips on match 2025-06-08 18:45.
[p]Croatia’s attempt to reach a fourth successive FIFA World Cup got off to the perfect start with a 7-0 battering of Gibraltar on Friday, a result which marked their biggest win in nine years. That result put behind them a run of one victory in five across all competitions (D2, L2) and provided the perfect tonic to their heartbreaking UEFA Nations League quarter-final exit, during which they lost on penalties to France.[/p]
[p]Their participation in that competition means Zlatko Dalić’s men have made a late start to World Cup qualifying (WCQ), with this clash against Czech Republic only their second of the group stage. As the highest ranked team in Group L, they are still strong favourites to finish in top spot, and a run of just one defeat in their homeland over the last three years (W7, D3) provides faith that they can extend a ten-match unbeaten run in WCQs (W8, D2).[/p]
[p]Beating the visitors will not be easy, given Nároďák sit in top spot after winning each of their opening three matches, scoring eight goals in the process. The most recent of those was an impressive 2-0 success over Montenegro, which has raised supporters’ hopes that their team could finally end their 20-year World Cup exile. [/p]
[p]It has been quite the revolution under manager Ivan Hašek, who was appointed in January 2024 and has suffered just three defeats in charge of the team (W10, D3), while the current four-match winning streak is the country’s equal-longest in competitive outings since November 2007. But on the basis of their national team never defeating Croatia (D2, L2), Czech fans may be forgiven for not travelling to Osijek with a great deal of confidence.[/p]
[p]Players to watch: A brace against Gibraltar means Andrej Kramarić has lost just one of the 28 internationals in which he has scored (W22, D5). He will be involved in a fight for the limelight with Czech Republic forward Patrik Schick, who netted in each of his last four WCQs and scored either the first or last goal of the game in three of those four.[/p]
[p]Hot stat: Five of Croatia’s last six WCQs produced over 2.5 goals, with the Blazers scoring at least three times in four of those fixtures.[/p]
[p][i]Written by Matt Jones[/i][/p]