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2026 UEFA World Cup Qualifier: Croatia vs Czechia
Kickoff Time: 2025-06-10 02:45 (HKT)
Source:REUTERS/Rodrigo Antunes
In recent years, Croatia has performed exceptionally well, consecutively finishing as runners-up in the 2018 Russia World Cup, third place in the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and as runners-up in the 2023 UEFA Nations League. However, with the main players gradually aging, the team’s performance has shown a decline. In the 2024 European Championship, Croatia was eliminated in the group stage. From this roster, it is still led by two veteran players, Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic, while the inclusion of Manchester City stars Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic stands out as the highlight. In the previous qualifying match, Croatia defeated Gibraltar 7-0, where Perisic even provided an assist hat-trick, showcasing excellent form. In terms of tactics, Croatia’s biggest characteristic is their resilience and strong one-touch passing ability in midfield. During games, midfielders, with their exceptional ball control skills, transfer accurately to stretch the opponent’s defense and create chances on both flanks. Additionally, the team’s defense is also based on ball control rather than simply relying on stacking defenders for counterattacks, highlighting Croatia’s efficient tactical execution.
Czechia last qualified for the World Cup finals back in 2006. Since then, due to generational changes, the team’s performance has plummeted dramatically, failing to qualify again for the World Cup. After over a decade of hard work, Czech football is beginning to recover. In the UEFA Nations League which ended last November, Czechia finished first in Group A of League B with a record of three wins, two draws, and one loss, securing promotion to League A. This year, coinciding with the expansion of the 2026 World Cup, the team aims to secure a spot for the tournament. In this current World Cup qualifying campaign, Czechia has won three consecutive matches, scoring eight goals and conceding only one, showing excellent form. Among them, striker Patrik Schick has netted four goals, totaling 24 goals in 45 appearances for the national team, averaging over 0.5 goals per game, which is impressive. Since defeating Ukraine last September, Czechia has maintained an unbeaten streak in eight games, with a win rate of 75%. However, their opponents have been relatively weak overall, and they conceded goals against weaker European teams such as the Faroe Islands and Georgia. Therefore, Czechia’s recent results are not too convincing. From recent matches, Czechia’s strength lies in set pieces. With their height advantage, the team frequently creates threats through corner kicks and free-kick tactics, excelling in combining edges with center play to exploit aerial opportunities. However, in this match, both Croatian central defenders are over 1.90 meters tall, so Czechia may lose their key advantage.
Given Croatia’s skill superiority, it is expected that Croatia will dominate possession, with Czechia being forced to adopt a counter-attack strategy. It is believed that Croatia will utilize its stronger overall strength to easily secure crucial three points from this match.
Croatia’s Last 5 Games：WLWDL
25-06-07 Gibraltar 0-7 Croatia
25-03-24 France 2-0 Croatia (ET 0-0, PEN 5-4)
25-03-21 Croatia 2-0 France
24-11-19 Croatia 1-1 Portugal
24-11-16 Scotland 1-0 Croatia
Czechia’s Last 5 Games：WWWWD
25-06-07 Czechia 2-0 Montenegro
25-03-26 Gibraltar 0-4 Czechia
25-03-23 Czechia 2-1 Faroe Islands
24-11-20 Czechia 2-1 Georgia
24-11-17 Albania 0-0 Czechia
Head To Head Record:
21-06-18 Croatia 1-1 Czechia
16-06-17 Czechia 2-2 Croatia
11-02-10 Croatia 4-2 Czechia
Prediction: Croatia to win