Prediction: Wales vs Croatia

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 21/20

Bookmaker: Unibet

After suffering an unexpected home defeat to Turkey on Thursday, Croatia will seek to set a few things right on Sunday when they travel to Cardiff to take on Wales in the Euro 2024 qualifications.

The campaign has reached a crucial stage now, with every point vitally important for all teams in Group D, apart from Latvia who have lost all hope of qualifying for the final tournament next year.

Wales

The campaign started very well for Rob Page and his team, who got a hard-earned point away to Croatia in the opening round and built on it through a win over Latvia. However, a real shock soon followed as they lost 2-4 at home to Armenia, and then they were beaten 2-0 away to group leaders Turkey. They finally got back to winning ways in Latvia last month, with Aaron Ramsey converting a 29th-minute penalty and David Brooks adding another goal in second-half stoppage time to set the final score at 0-2.

At the moment, Wales sit fourth in the group with seven points from five matches, with only Latvia behind. Armenia are third with the same tally as Wales, three points less than Croatia in second and six less than Turkey at the top, following Turkey’s unexpected but well-deserved win in Croatia on Thursday.

All is not lost for the Welsh, but it soon will be if they fail to take advantage of Croatia’s wounds and win on Sunday.

Team News

Wales will miss their captain Aaron Ramsey and forward Brennan Johnson due to injuries.

In the absence of Ramsey, Tottenham Hotspur defender Ben Davies will take on the captain’s role.

Striker Kieffer Moore, who scored two goals in a friendly 4-0 win against Gibraltar on Wednesday, will be hoping to lead the attack again with support from Daniel James and Harry Wilson.

Croatia

Despite the setback against Turkey, Croatia still appear on the right track to qualify for the Euros, but the job is by no means done and they can’t really afford another slip-up on Sunday, which would open the door for Wales to give them a proper fight for the second place. If that happens, Turkey would surely increase their lead at the top as they face Latvia at home at the same time.

After the opening-day draw against Wales, Zlatko Dalic’s team beat Turkey in Bursa, and it seemed at that point they would cruise through this group and win it. But then came demanding exploits in the UEFA Nations League – a 4-2 win over Netherlands in the semifinals, and a goalless draw followed by heartbreak in a penalty shootout against Spain in the final. They still managed to smash Latvia 5-0 at home, and triumph 0-1 in Armenia, before Turkey’s Baris Yilmaz stunned the Opus Arena in Osijek to send his team clear at the top of the table.

Croatia will surely go to Cardiff to win, but even a draw would keep Wales at bay at this point, with matches away to Latvia and at home against Armenia to come in November.

Team News

Croatia have several players unavailable for the match, including Ivan Perisic, who is dealing with an ACL injury. Additionally, first-choice striker Andrej Kramaric and Feyenoord winger Luka Ivanusec are sidelined.

Josip Brekalo, who deputized for Ivanusec in the previous match, is expected to start, but Zlatko Dalic may also consider making some changes to freshen up the team, and players like Lovro Majer, Nikola Vlasic, and Bruno Petkovic are in contention to be promoted from the bench.

Conclusion

Croatia’s higher FIFA ranking and quality make them the favorites in this match. After a disappointing result in the reverse fixture, as well as the defeat to Turkey on Thursday, they are likely to be motivated and determined to secure a victory in Cardiff. Expect them to come out strong and potentially clinch a win that would bring them closer to qualification.

Verdict: Away win

Best odds: 21/20

Bookmaker: Unibet