Portugal v Croatia Betting Tips [5 September 2024]

An abundance of talent will be on show when Portugal and Croatia meet this Thursday in the Nations League. The two nations are drawn in Group A1 alongside Poland and Scotland. Here’s our prediction for the match.

Hosts Portugal will be looking to go all the way and reclaim the title they won in 2019. They start this competition off the back of an eventful Euro 2024 campaign, where they exited at the quarter-finals. Curiously, despite their attacking prowess, Portugal failed to score in their last three matches.

Looking to add to their four-match unbeaten run against Croatia in competitive matches, this is an area they have to improve on. The last time they hosted Croatia, it was in a friendly match and Portugal lost 2-1. That remains their only defeat at home in the last 10 matches.

Croatia didn’t have a great run at the Euros in Germany. After pocketing just two points from a possible nine, they were eliminated at the group stage. A three-match winless run means the last time they tasted victory was against Portugal.

That was the last of a six-game unbeaten run but they’ve lost just once in the last nine outings. In 22 away matches, the Croats have only suffered three defeats. Croatia have faced off twice with Portugal in this competition and lost both times.

In the most recent of them, they crumbled in the second half after taking a half time lead, to fall 3-2 at home. Having gone close in this competition, losing to Spain in the 2023 final, Croatia will be keen to go one step further.

Croatia have had a history of near misses both in Europe and at the world stage. However, their dismal showing at Euro 2024 should be an eye-opener. Here they face an opponent they’ve largely struggled against, and playing away from home will not favor them a lot.

The visitors could also struggle in defence following withdrawals forced by injuries and retirement. A refreshed Portugal playing at home will be tough for them to crack in competitive action. Our prediction for Portugal v Croatia is for Portugal to win.