Croatia-Denmark is a match for the fifth day of the Nations League and is scheduled for Thursday at 20:45
CROATIA-DENMARK | Thursday 8:45pm
The first break of the season coincides with the return of the Nations League, the UEFA competition for national teams that was created in 2018 to permanently supplant friendly matches. In the next two weeks, the group stage will come to an end: we will know the names of the four qualifiers for the Final Four – the first of the four League A groups – as well as the promoted and relegated from the other minor leagues. In Group 1 of League A, defending champions France are already certain that they can no longer aspire to first place and thus to the final phase. Didier Deschamps’ Bleus even risk relegation to League B and will be called upon to avert it in these last few matches. Croatia and Denmark are in the hunt for the top spot, and the Zagreb clash looks set to be decisive.
Eriksen and his team-mates have nine points, the result of three wins and one defeat, which came last June against Croatia, who came to the top of the table in Copenhagen’s Parken stadium thanks to a goal from Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic (0-1).
The Balkans, coached by Zlatko Dalic – the head coach who led the red and white chequered national team to the World Cup final in 2018 – have seven points: unbeaten in their two clashes with France (a draw and a win), they are paying for the ugly defeat on the first day against Austria (0-3). It goes without saying that with a success Denmark would secure first place and the Final Four and the last match with the French would become irrelevant. The record, however, is not on the side of Kasper Hjulmand’s men, who have only won twice in seven matches against Croatia, with the last success dating back to 1999.
Hjulmand, Denmark selector
The Prediction
The stakes are high in the Maksimir match: Croatia cannot afford to lose if they want to keep their hopes of reaching first place: a defeat would be fatal. The first outing after more than three months since the last time is always an unknown, but both had appeared healthy last June. In any case, these are two selections with important individualities, aiming to play the role of outsiders at the upcoming World Championships in Qatar. The precedents suggest sticking with Croatia, who in our opinion can avoid defeat in another match of less than four goals in total.
Croatia-Denmark’s likely line-up
- CROATIA (4-1-4-1): Livakovic; Juranovic, Gvardiol, Vida, Sosa; Brozovic; Pasalic, Modric, Kovacic, Vlasic; Kramaric.
- DENMARK (3-4-3): Schmeichel; Christensen, Andersen, Nelsson; Kristensen, Hojbjerg, Eriksen, Maehle; Skov Olsen, Braithwaite, Damsgaard.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
