Croatia vs Poland Prediction: Goals expected in Osijek

Croatia will be looking to get their first points of the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League when they welcome Poland to the Opus Arena, Osijek for Group A1 action on Sunday (19:45).

Read on for my Croatia vs Poland prediction and all the latest team news.

Team News

Fiorentina defender Marin Pongracic was replaced by Lyon's Duje Caleta-Car at half-time in Croatia's 2-1 defeat to Portugal and the latter could be handed a starting opportunity for this clash.

Eintracht Frankfurt forward Igor Matanovic looked lively in his second-half cameo, firing off five shots, and he is another pushing for a place in the XI.

Football Odds

Arsenal defender Jakub Kiwior is a doubt for Poland after coming off at the break in the 3-2 win over Scotland and if he is unavailable to play, his spot could be taken by Torino's Sebastian Walukiewicz.

Croatia vs Poland Odds

*Please click on the link above to be taken to the main Croatia vs Poland page on betfred.com (or app) for all the live betting prices on this match.

Croatia are the 7/10 favourites to pick up the win on home soil, with the draw priced at 3/1 and Poland the 18/5 outsiders to claim the spoils.

Over 2.5 Total Goals @ 4/5

Croatia endured a tough start to their Nations League campaign, losing 2-1 to Portugal at the Estadio da Luz, and that result means there is even more pressure on them heading into Sunday's contest.

Visitors Poland looked on course for an easy win against the Scots at Hampden Park, as they led 2-0 at the break, but Billy Gilmour and Scott McTominay brought the scores level with 14 minutes of normal time remaining.

But the Poles were granted a late opportunity to snatch the win with a 97th-minute penalty and Nicola Zalewski managed to successfully convert the spot-kick, handing his side a potentially crucial three points.

A trip to Osijek presents a potentially much tougher assignment for Poland, but they will be full of confidence and they will feel they can give Croatia a good run for their money.

It is hard to back a winner in this one, therefore the better option looks to be going for over 2.5 goals given how often this bet has landed for both teams.

For Croatia, there have been three or more goals in six of their last seven assignments, while Poland have seen over 2.5 strikes in six of their previous eight fixtures.

Anytime Scorer - Josko Gvardiol @ 7/1

An interesting player in the anytime goalscorer market is Croatian defender Josko Gvardiol, who is given freedom to get forward and often finds himself in shooting positions.

The Manchester City ace, who scored five times for his club across all competitions last season, had two shots against Portugal last time out with both of those ending up on target.

Along with aerial prowess, Gvardiol also offers a threat with the ball at his feet and he is worth a look at 7/1 to find the back of the net.

Offers

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