Prediction: Latvia vs Croatia

Verdict: Away win and both teams to score – No

Best odds: 9/16

Bookmaker: BetUS

Croatia, following consecutive defeats in their recent matches, are aiming to bounce back to winning form as they face Latvia in their Euro 2024 qualifying campaign at the Skonto Stadium on Saturday.

The Croats experienced setbacks against Turkey and Wales in October, causing them to lose their hold on automatic qualification. Meanwhile, Latvia secured their first victory in the same qualifying phase but still find themselves at the bottom of Group D.

Latvia

Latvia suffered a substantial defeat of 5-0 in the earlier meeting against Croatia, where Bruno Petkovic netted twice at the Stadion Rujevica in September.

The team has been struggling and found themselves at the bottom of the table for a while. Their first points of the qualifying campaign came in October, as coach Dainis Kazakevics guided them to a slightly surprising win over Armenia, a team still vying for a top-two finish.

However, the short-lived momentum ended with a 4-0 loss to Turkey, despite holding out for nearly an hour against the group leaders. Turkey narrowly defeated Latvia 3-2 in their second encounter in June, which showed Kazakevics’s team’s ability to challenge even stronger teams.

The Latvian team made their only appearance in a major tournament almost two decades ago, and their current campaign seems to be coming to an end with their final match against Croatia on home turf. After that, they will play a friendly against Poland before focusing on upcoming campaigns, including the Baltic Cup and the start of World Cup qualifying.

Team News

Marcis Oss has returned to Kazakevics’s squad after being suspended due to a red card against Armenia in October. However, Eduards Emsis has accumulated bookings and will now serve a suspension after receiving another yellow card in the match against Turkey last time.

The team will have the return of left-back Raivis Jurkovskis and Kriss Karkliņs, who has been called up after more than a year. Unfortunately, striker Vladislavs Gutkovskis remains sidelined due to a long-term knee injury. As a result, Roberts Uldrikis from Cambuur is expected to take his place upfront.

Croatia

Croatia, known for their regular appearances in significant tournaments and especially for reaching the final and the semifinals at the last two World Cups, have put their spot in the upcoming European Championship finals at risk with defeats against Turkey and Wales, placing them in third position in Group D. Zlatko Dalic’s squad is currently level on points with Wales, following a 2-1 loss in Cardiff. However, they have a weaker head-to-head record against Wales.

As Turkey leads the group by six points, Croatia’s realistic hope for direct qualification relies on potential slip-ups by their Welsh counterparts. Yet, even if they can’t secure direct qualification, Croatia holds the possibility of qualifying via the play-offs, having secured a spot due to their UEFA Nations League performance, where they were losing finalists last summer.

Dalic manages a team featuring several experienced players whose careers are well in the twilight phase. Following their historic first home defeat in a Euro qualifier against Turkey and the loss to Wales, the likes of Luka Modric and others aim to show they still have more to offer.

To secure their position, Croatia needs to secure maximum points in their last two fixtures – this match against Latvia and then hosting Armenia in their final game of the qualifying campaign.

Team News

Ivan Perisic remains unavailable due to an ACL injury, while Mateo Kovacic’s participation in the upcoming match is uncertain due to a muscular issue. However, Andrej Kramaric and Luka Ivanusec return to the Croatia squad for this week’s fixtures.

Unfortunately, Bruno Petkovic and Nikola Vlasic have withdrawn from the squad due to injuries, and Petar Musa has been excluded after a lack of impact in the previous matches.

Dalic is likely to name Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol in the left-back position, with Borna Barisic not counted on at the moment. Dalic says he’s determined to stick with his preferred four-man defence despite the team’s issues at the back in October games.

Conclusion

Croatia certainly have a point to prove at the moment, and they won’t be holding back in this game. The home side will likely find themselves under pressure from the start, and their ability to keep out a team still boasting some world-class players under such circumstances is doubtful.

Verdict: Away win and both teams to score – No

Best odds: 9/16

Bookmaker: BetUS