Sabasports Match Preview
UEFA Nations League: Portugal vs Croatia
Kickoff Time: 2024-09-06 02:45 (HKT)
Source: REUTERS/Manon Cruz
In Portugal’s squad for this UEFA Nations League, the 39-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo is still on the list. Additionally, star players such as Bernardo Silva, Rafael Leao, and Bruno Fernandes are also included. Compared to the squad for the European Championship, there are six “newcomers” in this list, including Rui Silva, Renato Veiga, Tiago Santos, and Geovany Quenda. Portugal primarily plays in a 4-2-3-1 formation, characterized by smooth passing and ball control, as well as strong individual abilities. Notably, Cristiano Ronaldo has reached a career total of 899 goals, making the possibility of him breaking the 900-goal mark a major highlight of this match.
On the Croatian side, the overall strength cannot be overlooked either. In Croatia’s squad for this UEFA Nations League, the soon-to-be 39-year-old Luka Modric remains included, and he will continue to lead Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Mario Pasalic, and others as captain in this event. Croatia primarily plays in a 4-3-3 formation, with delicate footwork and strong midfield control being their most notable traits. However, as the core players are kind of too old, despite their rich experience in major tournaments, their physical fitness and mobility have noticeably declined, reducing the team’s impact. Additionally, Croatia’s recent squad has been somewhat unbalanced in terms of age, with an overall older average age among players, which has significantly affected the team’s performance.
From the perspective of overall strength and squad structure, Portugal is clearly superior to Croatia. Furthermore, in their last three encounters, Portugal holds a slight advantage with two wins and one loss. Facing an aging Croatia and enjoying home advantage, Portugal is undoubtedly favored in this match.
Portugal’s Last 5 Games: DDLWW
24-07-06 Portugal 0-0 France (PEN 3-5)
24-07-02 Portugal 0-0 Slovenia (PEN 3-0)
24-06-27 Georgia 2-0 Portugal
24-06-23 Turkey 0-3 Portugal
24-06-19 Portugal 2-1 Czechia
Croatia’s Last 5 Games: DDLWW
23-06-25 Croatia 1-1 Italy
24-06-19 Croatia 2-2 Albania
24-06-16 Spain 3-0 Croatia
24-06-09 Portugal 1-2 Croatia
24-06-04 Croatia 3-0 North Macedonia
Head To Head Record:
24-06-09 Portugal 1-2 Croatia
20-11-18 Croatia 2-3 Portugal
20-09-06 Portugal 4-1 Croatia
18-09-07 Portugal 1-1 Croatia
16-06-26 Croatia 0-0 Portugal (AET 0-1)
Prediction: Portugal to win