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Today, the UEFA Nations League will feature a high-voltage match between Croatia and Portugal. Portugal have already secured their place in the quarterfinal after winning four out of the first five matches. So, the result of tonight’s game won’t change anything for Portugal.
However, Joao Cancelo confirmed they have taken the game very seriously and will fight for the victory. Cancelo said, “It’s all about pride. We play for Portugal, for our family, for our friends. The game might not mean much in terms of points, but we always play to win.”
On the other hand, this match against Portugal has been a do-or-die game for Croatia. They stand in 2nd with seven points, only three points ahead of Poland and Scotland. Croatia will qualify for the next round only if they avoid a defeat against Portugal.
“Yes, it’s a big day for everyone and it will be extra motivation for us players. We know what it means to our people and it will be very emotional to play,” said Croat captain Luka Modric.
Since Portugal already secured their place in the quarterfinal, they will rotate the squad against Croatia. Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, and Pedro Neto will not play. However, Croats captain Luka Modric does not consider it as an advantage for them. He said, “It will not be easier. We have great respect for Portugal, regardless of the team they come with. They have a lot of width, so whoever comes in is definitely a top player and plays in a big club. They have players who want to prove themselves to the coach and that can be a problem for us.”
Team News
Portugal boss Roberto Martinez will surely rotate his squad ahead of the Croatia game. Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, and Pedro Neto will be on the sideline, while Bruno Fernandes, who already arrived at Manchester, will miss the game due to a suspension. Two freshers, Fabio Silva and Geovany Quenda, will likely come into the starting XI. Portugal have no injury cases ahead of the game.
As for Croatia, Petar Sucic will miss this crucial game due to a suspension. To replace him, Mario Pasalic or Nikola Vlasic will come into the XI. But Croatia have a massive boost with the return of Ante Budimir and first-choice goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic following their respective suspension.
Possible Lineup for Croatia:
Livakovic; Pongracic, Caleta-Car, Sutalo, Gvardiol; Modric, Kovacic; L. Sucic, Pasalic, Perisic; Kramaric
Possible Lineup for Portugal:
R. Silva; Cancelo, Djalo, Araujo, Tavares; Vitinha, Neves; Conceicao, Felix, Trincao; F. Silva
Prediction: Croatia 2-1 Portugal
It’s been a do-or-die game for Croatia and they will fight for everything to avoid defeat. As the home team, they will have tremendous support from the gallery. Portugal are a challenging opponent, but several senior players will not play today’s game, making it a bit easy for Croatia. So we expect Croatia to win the match after an intense fight.
Betfair Odds
Croatia: 2.90
Draw: 3.28
Portugal: 2.56
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