vs Prediction, probable lineups, recent form & season stats

Croatia and Spain open their Nations League group with no recent history from this campaign, so the picture comes mainly from the two sides' latest outings, largely from the World Cup, and their head-to-head record. Croatia arrive with a mixed run: their last match was a 1-2 defeat away to Portugal, preceded by two wins, 2-1 over Ghana and 1-0 away to Panama; further back come a 2-4 defeat away to England, a 2-1 win over Slovenia and, in the earliest of the six, a 0-2 defeat to Belgium. Their record across the last six is three wins and three defeats, with no draws. Spain, by contrast, arrive on a perfect run of six straight wins: the latest a 1-0 win over Argentina, before that a 2-0 win away to France, further back a 2-1 win over Belgium and a 1-0 win away to Portugal, and in the two earliest of the six, a 3-0 win over Austria and a 1-0 away win over Uruguay. In the head-to-head record, the most recent meeting came on 15 June 2024 and was played at Spain's home ground (the opposite ground from this match), with the hosts winning 3-0; before that, in June 2023, the two sides drew 0-0 at Croatia's home. Further back there was a 5-3 Spain win (2021, at Croatia's home), a 3-2 Croatia win (2018, also at home), another Spain win, 6-0, played on their own ground in September 2018, and finally, the earliest of the six, a 2-1 Croatia win in June 2016. The prediction may change in the hours before kick-off. Confirmed line-ups, late injuries, suspensions, rotation ahead of other fixtures and the state of the pitch and the weather can all alter the picture described above. In those cases the selection may be reviewed and updated within 12 to 24 hours of the match: this happens rarely, but when it does, the version published on this page is always the current one. The data and assessments here are provided for information and statistical purposes.