Croatia welcome France to Stadion Maksimir on Wednesday for Matchday 4 of the Nations League, in a repeat of the 2018 World Cup final.
Croatia currently sit third in Group A3, three points ahead of Sweden and four points behind second-place Frace, who are level on seven points with group-leaders Portugal.
Zlatko Dalic’s side come into this game on the back of a 2-1 victory over Sweden, with Nikola Vlasic and Andrej Kramaric getting on the scoresheet on Sunday.
Despite facing 14 attempts from Sweden, Croatia limited the Scandinavians to just three shots on target and also enjoyed the lion’s share of possession.
Croatia will now be looking to make it three wins from three this week, following last week’s 2-1 victory over Switzerland in a friendly.
However, Dalic’s men are likely to struggle to extend their winning streak. Croatia have conceded nine goals in three Nations League games this year – a rate of three goals per game.
Meanwhile, France remain unbeaten in this year’s Nations League having taken seven points from a possible nine so far.
The French won their opening two game – including a 4-2 victory over Croatia – before crushing Ukraine 7-1 in a friendly last week.
Didier Deschamp’s side recorded a goalless draw with Portugal last time out, with both sides racking up ten shots and three on target. The possession was also evenly shared.
France are now unbeaten in 11 games in all competitions, including Euro qualifiers, Nations League games and friendly matches.
Head-to-head: Croatia and France have faced each other seven times over the years, and France are yet to taste defeat in this fixture (W5-D2-L0).
Deschamp’s men beat Croatia 4-2 in the 2018 World Cup final before getting the better of Dalic’s side by the same scoreline just over a month ago.
Team news: Rangers defender Borna Barisic is a doubt for Croatia after failing the make the squad for the game against Sweden.
As for France, 17-year-old Eduardo Camavinga will be hoping to feature again following a start and a goal in the thrashing of Ukraine last week.
This game is likely to produce goals. After all, each of Croatia’s three Nations League games this year have seen over 2.5 goals scored.
It is also worth pointing out that Croatia’s last thee competitive meetings with France have produced a total of 16 goals – an average of over five goals per game.
Forebet predicts that both teams will score over 1.5 goals, with over 3.5 match goals being scored. However, a draw is the most likely outcome.