We have reached the final round of fixtures in UEFA Nations League A, Group 3. This group features France, Portugal, Croatia, and Sweden. France have already won the group but the battle to avoid relegation is still to be decided.
On Tuesday the 17th of November we have a meeting between Croatia and Portugal that will take place at the Stadion Poljud, Split.
Croatia come into this game knowing they need to win the match to guarantee they will finish above Sweden and remain in League A. Their most recent fixture came away against the Swedes on Saturday night and the match ended in a disappointing 2-1 defeat in Stockholm.
Sweden were 2-0 up before half time and despite getting a goal back in the second half, Croatia could not find the equaliser and that result means Sweden now have a chance of avoiding relegation.
Trends show Croatia managed to pick up just a single victory in this group and the win came at home against Sweden in the third round of matches. They have been beaten both home and away against World Cup holders France and current European champions Portugal.
Croatia have won only 2 of their last 6 games in all competitions. They have seen both teams score in each of their last 10 matches, including their last 4 at home. Croatia have managed to score 2 or more goals in 8 of those 10 matches.
Portugal know they cannot win the group and therefore will not be able to defend their Nations League title in the final tournament. Their fate was sealed on Saturday night as they suffered a 1-0 defeat at home against group winners France. In truth, France were the better team and created the majority of chances in the game and should have scored more than one goal.
That result was the first defeat for Portugal in this group having won 3 and drawn 1 of their previous 4 Nations League matches. The Portuguese recorded a comfortable 4-1 victory at home in the reverse fixture against Croatia and that was in the first round of fixtures in this group. Portugal also defeated Sweden home and away plus picked up a point in a 0-0 draw in France.
Trends show Portugal have lost only 1 of their last 9 games in all competitions. They have managed to keep a clean sheet in 5 of their last 6 games.
Team news and Croatia may look to make a few changes to the starting XI against Sweden. Josip Juranović, Mario Pašalić, Marko Rog, and Bruno Petković could be among those who come into the team.
Portugal may also decide to make several changes to their team. That could mean starts for Diogo Jota, Trincão, João Moutinho, Sérgio Oliveira, and Paulinho.
Croatia are really the only team with something to play for in this game. That could make for a less than appealing spectacle and we could see the match end level, with under 2.5 goals scored.