Wales vs Croatia prediction: EUROPE: Euro – Qualification betting tips on match 2023-10-14 18:45.
It’s crunch time in Cardiff, as Wales welcome Croatia for an absolutely pivotal European Championship qualifier (ECQ). Rob Page’s men have no room for error left, as an underwhelming campaign thus far (W2, D1, L2) leaves them three points adrift of the top two in Group D ahead of this clash. Injuries to key players threaten their aspirations however, with captain Aaron Ramsey and Brennan Johnson both sidelined for this clash.
In their absence, the Dragons cruised to a 4-0 friendly victory over Gibraltar in Wrexham on Wednesday, a success that made it back-to-back wins for the first time since November 2021. A run of just one win from 13 outings prior to those victories means scepticism remains rife amongst the Welsh supporters, especially ahead of the visit of Croatia, a side they’ve never defeated (D3, L4).
Zlatko Dalić’s men make the trip to the Welsh capital bruised after suffering a first ECQ defeat in over four years at the hands of Turkey. A porous Croatian defensive display resulted in the Checkered Ones ceding top spot to their opponents, and now they are left vulnerable to dropping out of the top two altogether should they suffer a first-ever H2H defeat.
The chances of that happening appear slim, as Croatia have never lost successive ECQs as an independent nation! They’ve also reached each of the last five Euro finals, so failure to do so this time around would be seen as catastrophic for a nation that’s made at least the semi-finals in each of the last two FIFA World Cups. There’s a safety net in failure for both teams however, as due to their Nations League rankings from the last cycle, Croatia are guaranteed a play-off should await if they miss out on automatic progression, while Wales are currently positioned to claim one too, although their spot isn’t totally assured despite being highly probable.
Players to watch: On target against Gibraltar, Nathan Broadhead was Wales’ saviour in the reverse fixture, netting a 93rd-minute equaliser to stun the Croatians. With several attackers unavailable, the visitors’ midfield could make the difference. That’ll likely be anchored by Luka Modrić who has started each of the last five H2Hs over the last 11 years (W3, D2) – both sides have scored in four of those matches.
Hot stat: Seven of Wales’ last ten home ECQ victories have been accompanied by a clean sheet.