Nations League: Portugal vs Croatia , Preview & Team News

Nation League Fixtures for Group A get underway as Portugal is all set to host Croatia, in what will be the first game of the group.

Date: 05/09/24

Kick-off time: 19:45

Venue: Estadio da Luz

Match Preview: Portugal vs Croatia 

Both Portugal and Croatia had disappointing Euro endings, but they are set on competing for silverware in the Nations League. 

Croatia aims to surpass their previous runner-up finish to champions Spain in 2023. After exiting the Euro group stage, manager Zlatko Dalic must rejuvenate his team to advance from a group that includes Poland and Scotland. Both Croatia and Portugal are expected to progress and will strive for a strong start in their opening game.

Portugal exited the Euros at the quarter-final stage, facing challenges with goal-scoring as they experienced two goalless draws in the knockout rounds. Despite having a range of talented attacking players, only Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, and Francisco Conceicao were able to score, with the other two goals coming from their own goals. Cristiano Ronaldo's performance did not have the desired impact, but he remains determined for what might be one final opportunity to secure another international trophy for his collection.

The two teams have encountered each other on a limited number of occasions, with Portugal securing the majority of victories, winning six matches and drawing one. Croatia managed to secure their first victory against Portugal with a 2-1 result in their recent encounter. The match took place just before the Euros and saw goals from Luka Modric and Ante Budimir for Croatia, while Diogo Jota managed to equalize. Before this, they competed in the UEFA Nations League in November 2020, where Portugal emerged victorious with a 3-2 result. The match witnessed notable performances from players such as Ruben Dias, who scored twice, and Mateo Kovacic, who also scored twice for Croatia.

Also read:- Top 5 Ballon d'Or Contenders for 2024

Team News: Portugal and Croatia

Portugal:- Portugal will miss the services of Pepe this time as he recently retired from international football. The manager, Roberto Martinez, has brought in some young players like Renato Veiga, Geovany Quenda, and Tiago Santos for the first time while leaving out Joao Cancelo and Danilo Pereira. Cristiano Ronaldo will be leading the team as the captain.

Croatia:- Luka Modric is still leading the team, despite all the retirement talk. Marcelo Brozovic called it quits from international football, but Ivan Perisic is in the squad even though he's currently not playing for a club. Unfortunately, Lovro Majer and Josip Stanisic are out with injuries, and there's some doubt about Duje Caleta-Car due to a knock.

Also read:- Former World Cup winner Juan Mata is on his way to Australian League