The Czech Republic and Croatia will face off at the Fortuna Arena on Saturday night as both teams begin their Nations League campaign under new managers.
Santi Denia takes charge of the hosts while Slaven Bilic begins his second spell in charge in Croatia. England and Spain are in the demanding A3 group.
judgment: Croatia wins
Best odds: 6/5
Bookmaker: 1xBet
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic still has a lot to do after a disappointing World Cup.
They lost to South Korea 1-2, drew with South Africa 1-1, and lost to Mexico 0-3. One point and two goals from three games saw them eliminated in the group stage.
Denia must now improve on those performances while dealing with significant changes to the squad. Several established players have already retired from international football, while Tomas Soucek’s injury has seen another experienced player exit the midfield.
That makes the opener a difficult task. Croatia could maintain possession for long periods of time, while the Czechs needed a way to not leave their defenders exposed when they lost the ball.
Tomas Chory can provide an outlet for long balls, while Pavel Sulc and Adam Hlozek look to catch the second ball. This would provide the hosts with a route to goal without requiring a new midfield pairing to run through Croatia in every attack.
Recent meetings have given us some encouragement. Czech Republic vs. Croatia A 0-0 draw with Prague last OctoberEarlier, they lost 5-1 to Osijek in the qualifying round.
The home side will once again need defensive discipline. If their forwards are isolated and Croatia continue to win the ball back, the pressure will increase around the Czech penalty area.
Czech team news
Soucek was unable to play due to injury. Patrik Schick and Vaclav Cerny are also missing End of national team career after the World Cup.
The changes gave Hlozek, Sulk and Jori more offensive responsibilities. Denia also recruited potential prospects Lucas Ambrose, Roman Masek and Maate Radosta.
Matej Kovar should be a strong candidate to start in goal, with Robin Hranak and Ladislav Krejic having plenty of experience at centre-back. Vladimir Coufal is on the right.
Michal Sadilek, Lukasz Cherv and Alex Kral are options in the midfield. Their positioning was important as the home team could not allow the Croatian midfielders to receive the ball freely in front of the defence.
Croatia
Croatia also enters this tournament after failing to live up to recent expectations at the World Cup.
They beat Panama 1-0 and Ghana 2-1 to bounce back from a 4-2 loss to England, but Lost 1-2 to Portugal in the round of 32.
Goals have been positive in all four games. Keeping just one clean sheet gives Bilic an obvious problem to solve, especially when opponents attack quickly after winning possession.
The visiting team still has a more familiar midfield than their opponents. Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic can help Croatia cope with the pressure, while Petar Susic and Martin Baturina can provide them with options.
That could decide this game. If Croatia gets the ball past the first line of pressure, the Czech midfielder must drop back into his own box, giving the visitors time to get their wide players forward.
Bilic once said Croatia’s best back fourso despite the coaching change, there should still be some continuity.
Croatia should still respect the home team’s crosses and second-goal threat. Away wins depend on controlling these moments and making the most of the extra quality in the midfield.
croatia team news
Modric is still part of the team. Bilic explained that the captain’s workload will be managed across the four games of the international window, so it is unlikely that he will feature in every game.
Dominik Livakovic, Dominik Kotarski and Ivor Pandure are the goalkeeping options.
Josip Stanisic, Josip Sutalo and Josko Gvardiol are the main defensive options. Luka Vuskovic and Martin Erici provide Bilic with more options in the middle of the park.
Kovacic and Petar Sucic should be involved in midfield, while Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric and Ante Budimir Provide offensive experience.
Baturina can move inside from a wider position, potentially giving Croatia another passing option when the Czech midfielder tries to press Modric.
Key factors to consider for Czech Republic vs Croatia
- The Czech Republic has one point from three games at the World Cup.
- The Czech team scored two goals and conceded six goals in this World Cup.
- Soucek was injured, and Schick and Cerny retired from the national team.
- Croatia has scored in all four World Cup games.
- In June 2025, Croatia defeated the Czech Republic 5-1 at home.
- Their most recent match ended 0-0 in Prague.
- Both teams will be playing their first games under new head coaches.
in conclusion
The Czech Republic had home advantage, but Denia took over at a difficult moment. Losing important players in the midfield and attack makes it difficult for opponents to expect immediate progress.
Croatia still have defensive work to do, and two goalless draws last year showed just how awkward this trip can become. Even so, the visitors still have a more mature combination and a variety of ways to create chances around the penalty area.
If Modric and Kovacic can keep the hosts chasing the ball, Croatia should have plenty of chances to start with three points.
Croatia’s best bet is to win.
judgment: Croatia wins
Best odds: 6/5
Bookmaker: 1xBet