Croatia v Scotland

Croatia vs Scotland Preview

Croatia returned to winning ways in the last round of games in the Nations League when they secured a valuable 1-0 home win against Poland, while Scotland remained bottom of the Group 1 table following a 2-1 loss away from home at Portugal in what closely resembles a ‘group of death' ahead of this upcoming matchday 3 clash at the Stadion Maksimir.

Croatia produced an underwhelming Euro 2024 finals campaign as they gained just two points from their three group games thanks to stalemates with Albania and Italy in 2-2 and 1-1 draws respectively, having previously been handed a heavy 3-0 loss to Spain in their opening game.

Further disappointment was to follow as Zlatko Dalic's side slipped to a 2-1 defeat away from home at Portugal in their opening game of this new Nations League campaign but the hosts managed to bounce back on home soil with the aforementioned victory over Poland. An upcoming visit from the bottom nation in Group 1, Scotland, now provides Croatia with a golden opportunity to pick up another three points as the hosts look to firstly cement their position in the group table, as well as further their claims for a possible place in the knockout rounds of this season's competition.

Scotland fared even worse than their upcoming hosts though in the recent Euro 2024 finals as the visitors could only muster a single point from their three group games, which came in the shape of a 1-1 draw with Switzerland.

However, losses at the hands of Germany 5-1 in the opening game of the tournament along with a disappointing 1-0 defeat to Hungary sealed Steve Clarke's side's fate and the Scots were duly dumped out of the tournament at the group stage.

Early back-to-back defeats to the likes of Poland and Portugal in this Nations League competition have now placed Scotland under increased pressure to gain a result away at Croatia on Saturday evening but the bigger picture suggests this may well be easier said than done.

Indeed, Scotland have managed to capture just one win from their last 14 internationals in all competitions which came in the form of a 2-0 win away from home at minnows Gibraltar, while also being dealt no fewer than nine defeats along the way as well, which does not bode well for this upcoming trip to the Stadion Maksimir.

In addition, Scotland have registered just one win in their last seven outings on the road, losing five of these matches.

Croatia v Scotland Verdict

Croatia beat Scotland 3-1 in their last meeting and another victory looks to be on the cards for the hosts in this upcoming encounter as well.

Therefore, our main bet will be Croatia win @ 1.57

Other side bets worth considering:

Croatia win & Over 2.5 goals @ 2.50

Correct Score: Croatia 2-1 @ 8.50