Latvia vs Croatia prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-11-17 17:00.
Latviaās wait for their second-ever UEFA European Championship finals appearance will go on for at least another four years after playing out a qualifying campaign that has delivered just one win and six defeats, leaving them bottom of Group D. While this is a dead rubber for the hosts on paper, Dainis KazakeviÄs do still have the opportunity to haul themselves above second-last Armenia in the remaining two matches of the campaign and in doing so earn two Euro qualifying (ECQ) victories in a single cycle for the first time in 12 years.
KazakeviÄsā team showed increased solidity during last monthās international window as they kept first-half clean sheets against Armenia – who they went on to beat 2-0 – and Turkey. Against the latter outfit however, they were ultimately thrashed 4-0, and it was only away at upcoming opponents Croatia (L 5-0) that they suffered a heavier loss in this qualification journey.
At least Saturdayās fixture will be at home in Riga rather than away in Rijeka, although the visitors will still fancy their chances, having won all five of their H2Hs to date. Croatia head into this encounter locked on ten points with second-placed Wales, pursuing an eighth passage to the Euros proper in nine attempts.
Zlatko DaliÄās men met qualification rivals Wales in their last away trip, falling to a damaging 2-1 defeat that leaves them in a precarious position in Group D, although they are still guaranteed a play-off place in the event they finish outside the top two. That loss in Cardiff was, however, the first time in their last six ECQ trips that theyād conceded more than a single goal (W3, D2), meaning confidence should be high that the Chequered Ones can bounce back to maintain their record of having never suffered more than two qualifying defeats en route to reaching the continentās most prestigious tournament.
Players to watch: JÄnis Ikaunieks is Latviaās highest active international scorer (G13) and, since netting the opener against Armenia, has four goals and two assists in five games for club side RFS. For the visitors, Lovro Majer has two goal involvements (G1, A1) in his previous two starts for Wolfsburg and will be targeting a first strike for his country since last November in the 4-1 FIFA World Cup win over Canada.
Hot stat: The last occasion Latvia beat a team in the worldās top ten at the time of facing them (Turkey) was 20 years ago in November 2003!