Croatia vs Spain: Croatia started their UEFA Nations League journey with more bumps than smooth sailing. However, they turned it around and are now in the final after defeating Netherlands 4-2 in the semi-finals. The golden generation of The Chequered Ones will be determined to win against Spain. If they manage to win, they will have won their first-ever international trophy. They have no major players missing from their rank through injury other than Josko Gvardiol. Hence, the coach will be lining up his strongest side.
Also read: Malta vs England: Trent Alexander Arnold SHINES in new role, Three Lions register DOMINANT victory
Croatia started their UEFA Nations League journey with one draw and one defeat. As they had only one point to show from their first two matches, they turned it around in the next five matches with five consecutive wins. They have scored at least twice in the last three of these matches. They also seem to be finding special inspiration at the end of 90 minutes as their last three matches have gone into extra minutes. Yet, they have found a way to win all of them with no problem.
It also dictates how they have not been able to keep a clean sheet in their last three games. However, that has not been much of a problem for Croatia as their forwards have always been able to find moments of brilliance. Going into the semi-final, the Netherlands had the advantage of playing at home at the De Kuip Stadium. They even scored the first goal of the match and took the lead. Croatia responded in kind and took back the lead through two goals from Andrej Kramaric and Mario Pasalic.
However, Noa Lang equalized for the Netherlands in the last minute of the match. That seemed to be the end of the road for the Netherlands. Croatia found the back of the net two more times in the extra minutes through Bruno Petkovic and their captain Luka Modric. Even if the match went to a penalty shootout, Croatia would have some advantage due to their experience in similar situations. They held their nerve in penalty shootouts against Japan and Brazil in the 2022 World Cup.
Also read: ARG vs AUS Highlights: Messi, Pezella SCORE as Argentina beat Australia 2-0 in friendly
They have been the runners-up twice now in the last two World Cups. They came in second place in the 2018 World Cup and in third place in the 2022 World Cup. This will be their second chance to grab an international trophy and the coach has almost all the players to line up his strongest team. The only player who will be missing the match through injury is Josko Gvardiol. Their centre-back Josip Sutalo also seemed to have some problems as he was taken off before extra time started against the Netherlands.
However, the coach will be happy to see that the player does not have any grave injury issues that can cause him to miss the final. Other than this, Croatia did not sustain any fresh injuries. Hence, the coach will also have an abundance of options in the front. However, he could line up Kramaric instead of Petkovic who has been a super substitute on a few occasions. Captain Luka Modric will be starting from the first whistle donning the captain’s armband.
Follow InsideSport on GOOGLE NEWS / Follow UEFA Nations League Live Updates with InsideSport.IN
Editors pick
