The Tartan Army returns to Glasgow for their unfinished mission after their heroic struggled paid off in London. They only need to beat Vatreni in their last game of the group stage to progress to the knock out stage for the first time in the major international tournament. However, it would be a challenging task considering Zlatko Dalic’s strong mentality and experience. It will be a mouth watering match as Croatia also needs a win to go through.
Both teams’ previous games
Luka Modric and Co could only muster a 1-1 draw while taking on Czech Republic last week. They were one goal behind first as Patrick Schick found the back of the net through a penalty. Fortunately, Ivan Perisic found the equaliser at the second half.
Scotland managed to hold England in a goalless draw in London. They had at least two decent chances but they were denied and blocked by Three Lions’ strong backline.
Possible tactic
Zlatko Dalic will stick to 4-3-3 formation with the transition to 4-2-3-1. Bruno Petkovic shall get a nod upfront rather than playing Ante Rebic as the frontman. AC Milan man is better playing out wide along with Ivan Perisic. Meanwhile, Hoffenheim forward Andrej Kramaric will be featuring the number ten role. The only name on the sideline for this fixture is Glasgow Rangers wing back Borna Barisic.
Steve Clarke is bound to deploy 3-4-1-2 again just like in the previous outing. Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes will be the duo front men again supported by John McGinn. Their attacking line is expected to do better as they are the only team in the tournament which has not scored a single goal yet. Ryan Fraser can come off the bench to break the deadlock in the second half. The only name who is ruled out here is Billy Gilmour who tested positive COVID-19.
Players to watch
The skipper and veteran playmaker Luka Modric is still the key man in the midfield. Some other notable to watch are Dinamo Zagreb man Bruno Petkovic who has netted six goals in seventeen caps, another world cup veteran Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic.
The home side’s most prominent figure in the squad is their skipper too, Liverpool wing back Andrew Robertson. Some other vital names in the squad are mostly the one from the defensive side, Scott McTominay and Arsenal man Kieran Tierney.
Croatia vs Scotland Prediction
The Tartan Army would have to intensify their attack which has been poor so far. This is something which would be quite hard to materialise as Steve Clarke’s side does lack of prolific striker despite already including Southampton’s Che Adams. Croatia is still dangerous in the middle which would push their opposition to work hard in avoiding the concession. Eventually, both sides will be sharing spoils here.
Betting odds
This clash is meant to be even. Yet, the punters still tip Scotland as the favorite with the odds to win at 11/5. The draw result is at the value of 37/13, whereas Luka Modric and Co are priced to win at 27/20.
