The Croatia national team open their UEFA Nations League A campaign with a match against Czechia in Prague, building their play around an experienced midfield core. In his second spell as coach, Slaven Bilić is expected to partner Luka Modrić and Mateo Kovačić in the centre of the park for Saturday evening's fixture.
In the most recent meeting between the sides, just two days ago, Croatia secured a 2-1 victory. "Modrić remains a key part of the Croatia lineup as he continues his international career," Bilić said. Croatia have scored 8 goals in 5 qualifying matches, conceding 5. They have 10 points in the group, which is 3 points behind leaders Spain.
Expected Lineups
Dominik Livaković is set to start in goal for the visitors, shielded by a defence of Josip Stanišić, Joško Gvardiol and Josip Šutalo. Modrić and Kovačić should be flanked in midfield by Nikola Vlašić and Martin Baturina, with Ante Budimir the leading candidate to lead the line. "Ante Budimir has shown some good performances for CA Osasuna since the beginning of the new season," was noted in the build-up. The side is without the injured Josip Juranović and Martin Erlić.
Hosts Czechia, under new manager Santi Denia, are anticipated to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation with Matěj Kovář in goal and Adam Hložek as the main attacking threat. Croatia are unbeaten in the last five meetings between the nations, with two wins and three draws. In qualifying, Czechia have scored 9 goals, conceded 6, and have 8 points, placing them third in their group.
This match is the first in a tough group that also includes England and Spain. Croatia will travel to face Spain as early as Tuesday, providing another significant test for the squad. The full schedule of upcoming national team fixtures is available on the fixtures page. A win in Prague would strengthen Croatia's position in the group and extend their positive run of results.
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