The first leg between Croatia and France in the Nations League quarter-finals will be played on Thursday, March 20, at Stadion Poljud in Split. It’s an encounter between the two teams who met in the 2018 World Cup final, where France emerged victorious. However, Croatia hit back in the 2022 Nations League when they defeated France 1-0. With both sides capable of beating each other, and showing attacking intent, this should be a thrilling contest.
Croatia: Recent Form and Squad Overview
Croatia vs France is an interesting contest because the hosts in the first leg of the quarter-finals are always competitive, regardless of the opposition they come up against. On their way to this stage, they’ve defeated the likes of Poland and Scotland while also securing a crucial draw against Portugal in Split, which ensured they advanced to the quarters.
Zlatko Dalic’s squad is still blessed with the mercurial talent that is Luka Modric, with the midfield maestro instrumental alongside another experienced player in Mateo Kovacic. Andrej Kramaric and Ivan Perisic add further experience to the ranks. But there are young talents in there, too, such as Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol.
France: Recent Form and Squad Overview
After losing at home to Italy 3-1 at home at the start of this cycle of the Nations League, France have roared back into form, with wins over Israel, Hungary, and Belgium. They also got revenge on Italy, defeating them 3-1, and this saw them make it to the quarters. France, regardless of form, are one of the strongest nations competing, and this is reflected by the Nations League outright betting odds.
Didier Deschamps continues to lead France for now, and he continues to be blessed with a plethora of talent, especially at the top of the pitch. He has recalled Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe, and he’s made him captain, in a statement move. N’Golo Kante is also back in the mix, and he will add experience alongside Eduardo Camavinga.
Tactical Approaches
Croatia
Zlatko Dalic primarily deploys a 4-3-3- formation with Croatia, with the team looking to leverage the experience of Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic to gain control in midfield and dictate the tempo. When Croatia gain control, it allows them to transition between defence and attack quickly, with full-backs there to offer support in attacking moves. In some scenarios, Dalic has changed to a three-man defence as he looks to adjust his strategy based on the opponent.
France
While Didier Deschamps has a star-studded squad at his disposal, he will often look to be pragmatic and want his team to be defensively sound first and foremost. Usually, he will go with a 4-3-3 or a 4-1-4-1 set-up, which could be interesting as Croatia could match them with the former. France’s strengths are in the wide positions, which is where they try and build up play, and it allows them to make use of their attacking players, such as Mbappe, who can operate wide or through the middle.
What Can We Expect?
France may be favourites to win the first leg of this quarter-final with Nations League betting online, but this could be one of the fixtures of the round because Croatia are no push overs, and they’ve got the better of France before. Croatia undoubtedly have the talent and the experience in the middle of the pitch to control the tempo of the game, but it’s whether or not that will be enough to stop France in their tracks.
France’s style of play could really suit this scenario, especially if Croatia are getting on the ball and slowing things down. The French will be waiting for opportunities to break on their opponents, using the pace of the attacking players in their team, and this could overwhelm what is expected to be an ageing Croatia starting XI. France will be happy to head to Croatia and come away with any sort of lead, feeling they can finish the job in the second leg.
Conclusion
There will be a lot of people who are expecting France to go to Croatia and win and for this tie to be over before the return leg. The betting suggests it could be the case, too. And it’s not wrong to think it is a possibility due to how strong the France squad is. However, Croatia have been a solid international team for years, as France already know.
It will be a tough assignment for Croatia, there’s no doubt about it, but if they use their wealth of experience to their advantage, especially in the middle of the park, then they’ve got a chance. The question is, will Father Time have caught up with Croatia’s ageing stars?
