Croatia kicked off their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign with a come from behind 2-1 win over Azerbaijan. Now, the World Cup 2018 runners-up are aiming for a second victory. They will have to defeat Hungary to move to a perfect six points from six. Can Croatia stay perfect or will Hungary upset the Group E favourites?
Hungary finished the 2016 European Championship tournament after reaching the round of 16. The Hungarians surprised many football fans and manager Marco Rossi will hope he can duplicate their previous Euro performances.
Unfortunately, Hungary didn’t get off to a good start in qualifying. They lost 2-0 to Slovakia conceding goals on either side of halftime. Worrying for Hungary was their inability to see out each half without conceding goals. Slovakia’s scores came in the 42nd and 88th minutes.
Hungary have met Croatia 10 times previously. The Croatians have won three times while Hungary were victorious just once. Six of their matches finished in draws. In their 10 games, each match averaged 2.3 goals scored. Croatia outscored Hungary 15-8 over the course of the 10 games.
Croatia haven’t defeated Hungary since 2004. The last three meetings between the two nations (2005, 2008, 2016) all ended in draws.
Although Croatia saw a few of its stars retire post-World Cup, the heart of the team is still together. Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic, Ante Rebic, Matteo Kovacic, and Ivan Perisic all featured against Azerbaijan.
Since starting the UEFA Nations League in September, Hungary have played seven competitive matches. The Might Magyars tallied a 3W-1D-3L record over the span of those seven fixtures. Although Hungary lost to Slovakia in their Group E opener, they held their own statistically. Hungary tallied five shots on target and racked up a 44% possession rate. Looking at Hungary’s team, however, it is difficult to believe they have the player talent to emerge as group winners. Rossi’s team will fight for a second-place finish to qualify for the Euro playoffs.
Croatia go into the fixture brimming with confidence from their matchday 1 win over Azerbaijan. The Croatians still have a lot to prove, especially after being relegated from League A in the Nations League. Zlatko Dalic’s side will get another Euro 2020 qualification campaign victory and move to a perfect six points from six. Like their previous 10 meetings, the fixture won’t be high scoring and will feature fewer than 2.5 goals.