Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Portugal vs. Croatia at International Friendlies
Prediction, Odds & Betting Tips for Portugal vs. Croatia at International Friendlies
Two of the dark horses for the trophy at the upcoming 2024 EURO, Portugal and Croatia, meet this Saturday in a test match before the start of the tournament. Portugal has high aspirations, with a team filled with superstar talent. On the other hand, Croatia has one of the best chemistry in the world and is always near the top.
Portugal
Selecao has Cristiano, but he isn’t the top star anymore; he is just another world-class player on the pitch. And that could be a good thing for Portugal, which now has a generation of new players ready to take on the biggest challenges.
Following the World Cup quarterfinals loss, Portugal won 10 consecutive events before losing to Slovenia in their latest appearance, which was against Slovenia, 2-0. They had a perfect run in the EURO qualifiers, showing muscle and trashing every team.
In the competition with Slovakia, Luxemburg, Iceland, Bosnia, and Liechtenstein, they won 10 games, scored 36 goals, and allowed 2.
Croatia
The Croats were second in their group, behind Turkey, and successfully secured their place in Germany. That’s nothing new for this unit, which is among the elite teams in the world and always shows the best performances when needed the most.
Right now, Modric and the boys have four wins in a row, two in the final rounds of the qualifiers and two in the friendly international meetings. They had three straight clean sheets before conceding against Egypt but ended up on the winning side, 4-2.
The team is fluid and very patient. Modric organizes everything and dictates the pace on the field. Their midfield is incredibly gifted, both tactically and technically.
Portugal: Costa; Cancelo, Pepe, Dias, Dalot; Fernandes, Palhinha, Bernardo; Leao, Ronaldo, Jota
Croatia: Livakovic; Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol; Brozovic, Modric, Kovacic; Majer, Kramaric, Pjaca
Portugal and Croatia last met in the 2020 UEFA Nations League, when Selecao triumphed in both events. It was 4-1 at home before 2-3 in Croatia. These two units clashed in the 2016 EURO when Portugal eliminated Croatia with a minimal win after extra time.
We don’t expect to see too much intensity here because both teams will try to prepare for the challenges in Germany. Because of this, our pick would be moderate efficiency, meaning two or three goals. Portugal is the favorite, yet we wouldn’t pick them because they might mix the lineup.
Our verdict: 2 or 3 goals