Croatia – Turkey

Euro 2024 Qualifiers Group D

Osijek, October 12, 20:45 CET

Croatia is in an excellent position before Friday's match with Turkey, in the Euro 2024 qualifiers, although these national teams have the same number of points (10) in group D.

Before the match in Osijek, at the new stadium where the Croatian team will certainly have great support from exceptional fans, the hosts have a psychological advantage. Their first match in Turkey Croatia won 2:0 in March. The national team, which was third at the World Cup last year and is still considered one of the best on the planet, has played one less match in the group stage than Turkey. The Croatians have an excellent opportunity to win their sixth consecutive appearance at the European championship.

Turkey, on the other hand, is in a complicated situation. The national team still needs to get used to the work system of the new coach, the famous Italian Vincenzo Montello. Behind this squad are bad results, a 1:1 draw against outsiders Armenia, but also a 4:2 loss against Japan in a friendly game that could have been more convincing.

For a decade and a half, Turkey has been without a significant result on the big stage, and the atmosphere in the football public in that country is that failure in the qualifiers would be neither a shock nor a surprise. It is clear that Croatia is the absolute favorite before this match - this is a team that has never lost a European qualifying match, when they are hosts!

Also, the experienced Croatian team has as many as 13 wins in the last 15 games on their home field in Euro qualifiers. The famous veterans, Modric and Brozovic, are expected to lead the team in the middle of the field - but also the excellent Kovacic, who plays well for the European and Premier League champions Manchester City. Also, Croatia has well-matched Kramaric and Petkovic in the attack, and Brekalo from Fiorentina will bring freshness to the offensive line. Central defenders Guardiol and Vida guarantee safety for the team, which will play with a certain attacking mindset and want to settle the match as soon as possible.

Considering the problems that Turkey has in defense, it is almost certain that Croatia, as the hosts, will manage to score at least two goals in this match. Demirel won't play due to suspension, his absence will be a big problem for the visitors' defense, and Ayhan and Soyuncu are expected to be a pair of central defenders. It is clear that Croatia has enough quality players to cause them serious problems.

Also, young Real Madrid star Guler won't play for Turkey due to a more serious knee injury, as well as one of the most famous Turkish players, Cengiz Under. For Croatia, the key issue is the long-term injury to experienced winger Ivan Perisic, but this squad has plenty of quality options to replace him in the rotation.