UEFA Nations League: Croatia Can Seal the Deal at Hampden Park

Scotland vs Croatia

The UEFA Nations League group stage is approaching its conclusion, and some of Europe’s best teams have already punched their tickets to the next round.

Portugal have done just that in League A Group 1 because of their solid run of UEFA Nations League 2024 results. The Navigators will go through to the quarter-finals after taking the top spot with three wins and one draw.

Croatia are right behind Portugal, and they can clinch their spot in the quarter-finals as soon as Friday when they take on Scotland at Hampden Park.

Zlatko Dalic’s side started with a 2-1 loss to Portugal but bounced back with consecutive wins over Poland and Scotland. Last month, Poland held Croatia to a 3-3 draw.

As for Scotland, Steve Clarke’s men are at the bottom of the group with three losses and one draw, so they’re merely battling to salvage some pride at this point.

 

Talking Points

Ins and outs for Scotland

Steve Clarke will have several experienced players back in the mix, as John McGinn, Stuart Armstrong, and Jack Hendry will make their return on Friday, although they must do without Che Adams.

The Torino striker suffered a thigh injury, so he didn’t play against Juventus in the Turin Derby last time out. Lawrence Shankland, Tommy Conway, and Lyndon Dykes will vie for Adams’ spot in the starting XI.

None of the three are in their best form, however, as Conway only has five goals for Middlesbrough, while Shankland only has one goal and Dykes has yet to score in League One this year.

John McGinn, Scott McTominay, and Ben Doak will be tasked with shouldering the heavy offencive load for the Tartan Army this international break, while Billy Gilmour and Kenny McLean face the big task of keeping Croatia’s midfielders at bay in their double pivot formation.

Andy Robertson, Jack Hendry, John Souttar, and Anthony Ralston will form a back four to cover the evergreen Craig Gordon, their veteran goalkeeper.

 

Croatia suffer key loss at the back

Croatia will need to make a change at the goalkeeping front, as first-choice goalie Dominik Livakovic will have to serve his suspension against Scotland.

Livakovic received a straight red card for his nasty tackle on Robert Lewandowski last time out. Nediljko Labrovic will replace him in the starting XI. Labrovic will likely have Josip Sutalo, Josko Gvardiol, and Duje Caleta-Car in front of him on Friday.

Lovro Majer and Bruno Petkovic are also out for Croatia due to injuries, which means that Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Borna Sosa will make up for their midfield.

Perisic will be the key man for Croatia, as he has been directly involved in three goals in two games against Scotland but has never scored across 18 UEFA Nations League appearances.

Andrej Kramaric and Igor Matanovic will maintain their spots up front, and Ante Budimir or Martin Baturina might join them.

 

History

Croatia won 2-1 in their reverse fixture against Scotland last month, as Igor Matanovic and Andrej Kramaric overturned a 1-0 deficit created by Ryan Christie.

Kramaric’s go-ahead goal in the second half was his 30^th international goal in his 99^th cap for the Vatreni.

And after their goalless draw against Portugal a few days later, Scotland remain winless under Steve Clarke for more than 13 months. The Tartan Army has also conceded 35 goals in their last 16 outings.

Friday marks the eighth competitive meeting between these two sides. In the past seven matches, Croatia and Scotland have two wins each and three draws.

Croatia have never won in Scotland. This is the Vatreni’s first trip to Hampden Park since a 2-0 defeat on October 2013 in a World Cup qualifier game.

 

Betting Tip

The UEFA Nations League 2024 odds predict a closer fight between Scotland and Croatia, but it’s the visitors who still have the edge. Croatia are priced at 2.14 to win, while Scotland are pegged at 3.12, while a draw is at 3.18 in the 1X2 market.

Because qualification is within their reach, Croatia can play with a certain amount of freedom, while Scotland come into this game under a lot of pressure.

Their past few meetings have seen a fair share of goals, and such a trend should continue this weekend. So, other than our recommended bet above, SBOTOP bettors can also go for Over 2.25 at 1.71, Over 2.75 at 2.21, and Total Goal 2-3 at 1.97 as options.

A Correct Score of 2-1 in favour of the Vatreni – the result of last month’s encounter – is priced at 8.40.

   

●●●

CHECK OUT OUR BLOG FOR MORE FOOTBALL STORIES & ODDS

Stay updated with everything sports and betting.

Follow us on social Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.