Slovakia and Croatia will meet in the 5th round of qualifications for the World Cup. Slovakia takes third place in the group, and they have no right to make a mistake in the next matches. Croatia shares first place with Russia, and anything but the first place in the group would be a failure.
September 4th, 2021 – 20:45
Slovakia vs Croatia Betting Tips & Predictions
Draw @3.30
BTTS Yes @ 2.00
Correct score 1:1 @6.50
Reason for Slovakia vs Croatia Predictions
Slovakia is coming off a 1-1 draw against Slovenia in their previous qualifying fixture. They took a first-half lead through Robert Bozenik but were pegged back by the hosts three minutes before the break. It has been a disappointing summer for Slovakia as they appear to have picked up where they left off from their dismal outing at Euro 2020. They are winless in their last three matches across all competitions and have claimed just one win in the qualifiers. Manager Stefan Tarkovic appears unable to sort out the team’s vulnerable defense, with a 5-0 defeat to Spain highlighting their porous backline. They are also without a clean sheet in their last three qualifying matches and were breached twice in a 2-2 draw against Malta back in March. Stanislav Lobotka is an experienced player, who does not allow his opponent to play much in the middle of the field, and is instrumental for the national team. Robert Bozenik enjoys the pitch, and when he receives the ball and moves towards the goal, the opponent has problems. He is strong, and his most important strength is speed.
Although they were disappointing in their previous qualifying fixture, Croatia is still setting the pace in Group H. They were held to a 0-0 draw by Russia after showing an uncharacteristic lack of cutting edge in attack. The result means Croatia is now unbeaten in their last three qualifying matches and looks well on course to progress to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Zlatko Dalic’s men have claimed two wins in that run, including a 3-0 victory over Malta. Despite their performance in Russia, Croatia is usually dangerous going forward and has enough quality to get past a shaky Slovakian defense even without captain Luka Modric. Croatia has a 4-2 advantage with two draws from eight previous matches against Slovakia. The most recent meeting was a 3-1 victory for the Croats during the Euro 2020 qualifiers, while they also ran out 4-0 winners on their last visit to Slovakia. Mateo Kovačić is a great player, and he works a lot on the field. He plays without mistakes, all praise for him. Mislav Orsic plays great in Dinamo Zagreb, he has improved a lot, and this youngster is doing great in the penalty area. He has excellent movement, and he is the future leader of the national team.
Conclusion
It will be a big battle between these two teams, and it will not be surprising if the match ends in a draw.
We can also expect a goal in both nets, and neither side should keep the clean sheet.