Croatia vs Portugal Prediction: 18/11/2024

Monday’s Nations League fixture features Croatia taking on Portugal, with fans eagerly anticipating the clash.

Croatia heads into the match after an exciting 3-3 draw against Poland in their previous Nations League game. Croatia enjoyed 52% possession and recorded 15 shots, with 8 on target. Borna Sosa, Petar Sučić, and Martin Baturina were the scorers for Croatia. Poland managed 14 attempts on goal, with Piotr Zieliński, Nicola Zalewski, and Sebastian Szymański finding the net. While Croatia has struggled to keep clean sheets recently, they have consistently scored, finding the back of the net in all six of their last matches while conceding in five.

Portugal, meanwhile, played out a goalless draw against Scotland in their last outing. Portugal dominated possession with 70%, creating 14 shots but only managing 3 on target. Scotland, in comparison, registered 4 attempts, with 2 on target. Portugal’s defense has been solid, conceding only three goals across their last six matches while scoring seven. However, whether this pattern holds against Croatia remains to be seen.

In their previous head-to-head encounters since 2016, Portugal has had the upper hand, winning four of their six meetings, while Croatia has managed just one victory, with one draw. Across these games, 19 goals have been scored—7 by Croatia and 12 by Portugal—averaging 3.17 goals per match.

Their last encounter in the Nations League took place on September 5, 2024, with Portugal edging out a 2-1 victory. Diogo Dalot and Cristiano Ronaldo scored for Portugal, while Dalot also contributed an own goal. Croatia managed 13 shots, with 4 on target, while Portugal recorded 15 attempts with 6 on target.

Both teams are at full strength for this match, with no injuries reported for Croatia under Zlatko Dalić or Portugal under Roberto Martínez.

 

Prediction

This match is expected to be tightly contested, but Portugal’s strong defense could make the difference. A narrow 1-0 victory for Portugal seems likely, with more than 1.5 goals anticipated during the game.