Croatia set for routine WCQ win over Malta
Croatia vs Malta - 30/03/2021
2497
Malta will be aiming to move off the bottom of World Cup qualifying Group H when they face Croatia in Rijeka on Tuesday.
Having taken three points from their opening two games, Croatia sit third in Group H – three points behind first-place Russia.
On the flip side, Malta find themselves bottom of the group after picking up just a single point from their first two outings this campaign.
It’s fair to say that Croatia dominated Slovenia on Matchday 1. In fact, they recorded 70% possession and notched up 11 shots.
However, Croatia ended up conceding after 15 minutes, and despite their best efforts, they weren’t able to recover.
But last time out, Croatia racked up 17 attempts and beat Cyprus 1-0, thanks to Mario Pasalic’s first-half strike.
Having failed to win any of their five games – four losses and one draw – leading into Saturday’s match, it was imperative that Croatia returned to winning ways against Cyprus.
Ultimately, Croatia have won just three of their last ten outings in all competitions – suffering six defeats along the way.
On the other hand, Malta kicked off their campaign by suffering a 3-1 loss to Russia, with Joseph Mbong getting on the scoresheet for the hosts.
But on Saturday, Malta were able to register an unlikely 2-2 away draw with Slovakia, despite seeing just 33% possession.
Goals from Luke Gambin and Alexander Satariano saw Malta race into a shock 2-0 lead inside 19 minutes, yet two second-half strikes from Slovakia meant the game ended level.
Remarkably, Malta have only lost one of their previous nine matches in all competitions, although they haven’t faced opposition as tough as Croatia in that time.
Head-to-head: Croatia and Malta have faced each other eight times over the years, with Croatia claiming seven wins and a draw.
It is worth noting that Croatia have scored over 2.5 goals in four of their seven victories over Malta and have also kept four clean sheets.
Team news: With forward pair Ante Rebic and Bruno Petkovic currently injured, Ante Budimir is likely to lead the line for Croatia on Tuesday.
After claiming a surprise draw last time out, Malta are likely to stick with the same starting XI that did so well at the weekend.
Given that Croatia have thrashed Malta multiple times over the years, all the signs are pointing towards another easy win for the hosts on Saturday.
Forebet predicts that Croatia will seal a clean-sheet victory over Malta, scoring over 1.5 goals in the process.
Home team
Away team
Pred
Correct score
Avg. goals
Weather conditions
Coef.
Score
Live
coef.
WCQ
692110
1
2 - 0
2.39
12°
1.06
1.06
13.50
42.00
1
-1
1
3 - 0(0 - 0)
Home
Football 
Basketball
Tennis
Hockey
American Football
Baseball
Rugby
Volleyball
Handball
Esoccer
