Croatia vs Belgium - prediction, team news, lineups

Two of Europe's perpetual bridesmaids spell head-to-head successful an planetary affable connected Tuesday, arsenic Croatia invited Belgium to the Stadion Rujevica.

Both the Chequered Ones and the Red Devils are ramping up their preparations for different changeable astatine World Cup glory successful North America, pursuing a fistful of agonising near-misses successful erstwhile large tournaments.

Match preview

Frequently connected the podium but ne'er the prizewinners, Croatia volition caput crossed the Atlantic boasting 2 metallic medals and 1 bronze from planetary competitions successful the past 8 years; 2 heavy World Cup runs and 1 Nations League runners-up accolade.

The antheral who oversaw each of those praiseworthy performances - Zlatko Dalic - is inactive astatine the helm, aft masterminding a near-flawless qualification run for the 2026 World Cup, comprising 7 wins and 1 gully successful 8 matches.

Croatia volition soon reunite with regular foes England successful the United States, alongside Panama and Ghana successful an intriguing Group L; archetypal up is the Three Lions successful Texas connected June 17.

The hosts' warm-up play for the Mundial commenced successful mixed manner successful March, erstwhile the Chequered Ones came from down to decision Colombia 2-1 in Orlando, earlier suffering a 3-1 decision to Brazil astatine the aforesaid venue.

That reverse to Carlo Ancelotti's men snapped Croatia's nine-match unbeaten series and four-game winning tally crossed competitory and non-competitive matches, but not since October 2023 - against Turkey and Wales - person Dalic's broadside suffered back-to-back losses.

One-hundred and six years connected from their lone large occurrence successful elder men's shot - a 1920 Olympics golden medal - the 'golden generation' of Belgian shot has failed to present arsenic intended.

The Red Devils suffered a group-stage exit astatine Qatar 2022 and a last-16 elimination astatine the 2024 European Championships, and the antheral tasked with yet bringing large tourney glory to Brussels has not made a sensational start.

Ex-Lyon and Napoli brag Rudi Garcia boasts 7 wins from his opening 12 matches successful charge, though his broadside topped their World Cup qualifying radical with an unbeaten grounds and staved disconnected relegation to the 2nd tier of the Nations League, edging retired Ukraine 4-3 successful a playoff.

Garcia's broadside besides flexed their attacking muscles successful March's 5-2 affable triumph implicit the USA, earlier a low-key 1-1 gully with Mexico, albeit 1 that extended their unbeaten tally to 11 matches crossed each tournaments.

The Red Devils person fired successful a noteworthy 38 goals successful that clip - albeit respective against lesser opponents specified arsenic Liechtenstein - and person avoided decision successful their past 4 internationals with Croatia, whose past triumph successful this head-to-head came successful a 2010 affable acknowledgment to Niko Kranjcar strike.

Croatia International Friendlies form:

Croatia signifier (all competitions):

Belgium International Friendlies form:

Belgium signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Luka Modric's property meant that determination was ever going to beryllium uncertainty implicit his World Cup participation, but the 40-year-old volition deterioration the captain's armband for Croatia this summer, and helium is conscionable 4 appearances distant from hitting the 200 people for his country.

Modric is 1 of 4 centurions successful the Croatia squad alongside Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric, the second of whom is reported to person been struggling with an adductor contented for months, but Dalic has played down specified fears.

The Croatia brag has besides confirmed that helium intends to usage a backmost 3 connected Tuesday, perchance comprising Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol alongside Tottenham Hotspur endowment Luka Vuskovic.

Belgium coincidentally person 4 100+ headdress players successful their World Cup ranks too, arsenic Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Axel Witsel and Thibaut Courtois person each been called up by Garcia, the erstwhile successful spite of repeated wounded issues successful 2025-26.

Lukaku - who memorably missed respective gilt-edged chances against Croatia astatine the 2022 World Cup - made conscionable 7 appearances for Napoli past play and has not seen the tract since March owed to a muscular problem, truthful the uncapped Matias Fernandez-Pardo whitethorn beryllium considered for his afloat debut up beforehand instead.

Highly-rated Sporting Lisbon defender Zeno Debast has besides been selected contempt a caller thigh injury, but Arsenal's Leandro Trossard is improbable to beryllium progressive connected Tuesday truthful soon aft the Champions League final.

Croatia imaginable starting lineup:

Livakovic; Pongracic, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Stanisic, Modric, M. Pasalic, Perisic; Kramaric, Baturina; Budimir

Belgium imaginable starting lineup:

Courtois; Castagne, De Winter, Theate, De Cuyper; Tielemans, Witsel; Saelemaekers, De Bruyne, Doku; Fernandez-Pardo

We say: Croatia 1-1 Belgium

Belgium's caller goalscoring exploits whitethorn number for small against Croatia's three-man cardinal antiaircraft setup, particularly with Lukaku besides lacking fittingness and Kevin De Bruyne entering connected the backmost of his ain disrupted campaign.

As some camps volition besides strive to debar further injuries earlier the World Cup begins, a low-key gully appears a apt outcome.

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