Latvia vs Croatia: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Published at :November 16, 2023 at 3:07 PM

Modified at :January 14, 2024 at 1:08 AM

The Latvia National team host The Vatreni at their home turf for matchday 9 of the UEFA Euro 2024 qualifiers.

The Latvia vs Croatia encounter looks to be a fascinating battle. The Croatian team, which has always been the superior team against Latvia, is anticipated to bring their skilful squad and tactics. Despite being the underdog in this match, Latvia may try to take advantage of any weaknesses that Croatia may show. Croatia are in a tough place in their group, but they will do their best to win this game and grab the second spot.

Croatia are strong ones to win despite the absence of a few important players because of their depth and talent. This will surely give them an advantage in possession and scoring opportunities. In general, Croatia is favoured going into this match, but anything can happen in football. So, let us gear up for this important match of football!

Kick-off

Saturday, 18th November 2023, 5:00 PM GMT; 10:30 PM IST

Location: Skonto Stadium

Form

Latvia (in all competitions): L-L-L-W-L

Croatia (in all competitions): L-W-W-L-L

Players to watch for

Roberts Ozols – Latvia

Ozols is indeed going to be an important player for Latvia in this game. The Croatian attack is fiery on the counter-attacks. So, his position as a goalkeeper for the Latvian team would be vital, helping to maintain the team’s defensive stability and guarding the goal during those counterattacks. It would be good to see how he performs in this match!

Luka Modric – Croatia

Luka Modric Latvia vs Croatia — Luka Modric has 170 appearances for the national side

Luka Modric is a well-known midfielder and captain for Croatia. His superb passing and vision have always been invaluable to the Croatian team. Over the years, the veteran has been creating plays and precision assists. With his ability to play creatively and control the team’s tempo, Modric is going to be an invaluable member of Croatia’s midfield in this match against Latvia.

Match facts

The two teams have faced off five times across all competitions in the European and FIFA World Cup qualifiers. In these encounters, the Croatian team is undefeated.
When they played each other in the Euro 2024 Qualifiers September 2023 fixture, Croatia won 5-0 thanks to a Petkovic brace.

Injury and team news

Both Croatia and Latvia have been impacted by injury concerns prior to their next game. Due to injuries, Kovačić and Petković are out for Croatia, which is a setback. Additionally, Croatia’s attacking options and squad depth are severely harmed by Ivan Perisic’s ACL injury. Meanwhile, the absence of Latvia’s important left-back Andrejs Ciganiks raises questions. Both teams’ tactics and squad compositions are impacted by these injuries, requiring changes and a reliance on other players to play key roles in the upcoming matchup.

Head-to-head

Matches: 5

Latvia: 0

Croatia: 5

Draws: 0

Predicted lineup for Latvia vs Croatia

Latvia Predicted lineup (4-4-2)

Ozols; Savalnieks, Oss, Dubra, Sorokins; Jaunzems, Emsis, Saveljevs, J. Ikaunieks; Uldrikis, Krollis

Croatia Predicted lineup (4-5-1)

Livakovic; Juranovic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Sosa; Brozovic, Modric, Kramaric, Ivanusec, Budimir; Pasalic

Match prediction for Latvia vs Croatia

While it is a clear sign that Croatia will win the match against Latvia, it is to be noted that Latvia play at their home. The slight advantage can cause upset for sure. Croatia needs to win this game anyhow in order to gain the second spot in the points table. While Latvia has only won 1 game in this qualifiers, it will be good to see how both teams adjust their tactics to win this game.

Prediction: Latvia 1 – 3 Croatia

Telecast

India: Sony Sports Network, Jio TV

UK: Channel 4, Viaplay Sports

USA: Fox Sports

Nigeria: FIFA+

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