Wales face Croatia in a tough Qualifying Group D clash as both teams look to qualify for UEFA Euro 2024.
Victory could see Wales climb into second, whilst Croatia could go top if Turkey lose elsewhere.
Team News
Wes Burns is ruled out for Wales with a shoulder injury suffered during their friendly win over Gibraltar.
Adam Davies (unspecified) and Ben Cabango (hamstring) withdrew prior to that game, whilst Owen Beck and Luke Harris aren’t expected to feature here despite having been on the bench against Gibraltar, before they returned to the Under-21s setup.
Croatia have no fresh injury concerns to report after their loss to Turkey, as Luka Ivanusec (ankle) and Andrej Kramaric (muscle) remain ruled out.
When is Kick-Off?
Wales host Croatia at Cardiff City Stadium on Sunday 15 October at 7:45pm BST, live on ViaPlay in the UK.
Stat Attack
- Wales are winless in three previous UEFA Euro qualifiers against Croatia (D2, L1).
- Croatia drew 1-1 in their only previous UEFA Euro qualifier away to Wales in October 2019 (D1).
- Wales are yet to beat Croatia in all competitions (D3, L4).
- Two of Wales’ three goals in their two qualifiers at home have come before half-time.
- Croatia have scored three goals without conceding in their two away qualifiers (W2).
Prediction
Having rested several regulars in their friendly win over Gibraltar, Wales now need to take confidence and heart from their dominant attacking display into this game and again show the same flair, especially in what will be a much tougher game.
Croatia meanwhile were narrowly defeated by Turkey at home on Thursday evening so I do expect them to mount a serious response, especially given that they’re yet to concede on the road and victory would certainly put qualification in their own hands.
Recent meetings though have shown how closely matched these two teams are on the pitch against each other, so I can foresee another tight battle but Wales probably need to score first and defend resiliently if want the win to realistically keep their qualification dreams alive.
Prediction: Wales 1-1 Croatia
Result: Wales 2-1 Croatia
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