Croatia vs Latvia prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-09-07 18:45.
After a frustrating penalty-shootout loss against Spain in the 2022/23 UEFA Nations League final, Croatia need to now focus on their European Championship qualifying (ECQ) campaign for 2024. Following a disappointing start with two dropped points at home against Wales (1-1), Zlatko Dalić's men responded well with a convincing 2-0 victory in Turkey, extending their unbeaten streak in ECQ matches to eight (W5, D3).
The Blazers are largely expected to make it nine this time around, especially considering they haven’t lost a single ECQ home match since gaining admission to UEFA in June 1993. The prospect of another match unbeaten is a distinct possibility given they are facing the lowest-ranked team by FIFA in Group D, Latvia (#134), a nation Croatia defeated by a 5-0 aggregate score the only previous time they shared a qualification group.
With three losses in as many matches, this ECQ campaign is once again shaping up to be a challenging journey for Latvia, who have only ever qualified for one a major tournament in their history – Euro 2004 in Portugal. At least coach Dainis Kazakevičs can take solace in the fighting spirit of his players, as each of these aforementioned defeats came by a single goal margin.
The 11 Wolves may have gained promotion to League C during the last UEFA Nations League campaign, but a run of seven consecutive away losses in ECQs underlines their status as clear underdogs here. Indeed, a goal here may be considered a moral victory, given that the last time they scored away to a current FIFA top-ten nation in an ECQ was back in 1995, a 3-2 defeat in Portugal, subsequently drawing blanks against Spain, Croatia and the Netherlands.
Players to watch: Andrej Kramarić will be one to watch, as he has already contributed to four goals in as many appearances for Hoffenheim this season (G3, A1). The only Latvian player to achieve a Flashscore rating above 7.0 in this ECQ campaign is Kristers Tobers after his goalscoring performance against Turkey.
Hot streak: Croatia’s previous nine home ECQ matches have all seen the opening goal scored inside 35 minutes.