Croatia vs Denmark FIFA World Cup 2018 – Lineups, Predictions & Stats Preview 1 July 2018
This will be a tactical game based on the teams’ group experiences. Croatia tends to be more defensive in difficult games, so does Denmark. The team that wins in the defensive midfield will win the game as it is the most star-studded department on each side.
Croatia Probable Lineups and Stats
Danijel Subasic will return to the goal for Croatia after the deserved rest alongside the back four from matchday 1 and matchday 2. Ivan Strinic and Sime Vrsaljko will play at the back left and back right respectively. At the centre, there is Domagoj Vida and Dejan Lovren. This defence is yet to concede a goal in the tournament.
The midfield will see Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic plan the game while Ivan Perisic will cross in the balls from the left wing. Ante Rebic will help in from the right flank as Marcelo Brozovic run behind Mario Mandzukic to look for their 8th goal in the tournament. The front three have a good jell to look for goals.
Croatia has the best conversion rate in the tournament at 0.8 (goals/shot on target), +6 goal difference and an average ball possession of 53%. Despite their impressive records, their discipline level is worrying, taking in 8 yellow cards (including 4 against Argentina) against 52 bookings.
Denmark Probable Lineups and Stats
Kasper Schmeichel will take his deserved place between the goal posts for Denmark during the Round of 16 game against Croatia. The back four will have Jens Larsen on the left, Andreas Christensen and Simon Kjǽr in the central defence as Henrik Dalsgaad defends from the right. This defence has allowed only one goal, which is an impressive record.
In defensive midfield, Thomas Delaney and Lasse Schone will hold forte while Christian Eriksen will play directly in front. Fresh from suspension, Yussuf Poulsen starts from the right wing and Pione Sisto attack from the left wing. Nicolai Jorgensen will look for goals.
The team has the least goal difference from the group stages, although the 4-2-3-1 is an attack transitioning formation. Their 41% average ball possession in the last 3 games and 0.2 goal conversions (goal/shot on target) indicates that the team should improve on their attacking formation. They have a good record discipline record in comparison to Croatia; 5-8 bookings, but with a goal difference of +1, the team will need to up their game.
Croatia v Denmark – Head to Head
Croatia and Denmark have met 5 times; twice in the World Cup playoffs in 1997 (a draw and a win for Denmark). The first time these two teams met was in 1996 during the UEFA European Championship in England where Croatia won 3-0 in their group. Their last two meetings in international friendlies saw Denmark win by a solitary goal and Croatia win by 2-1. From this, the teams have equal points; 2 wins each and a draw. This will provide a perfect time to break the deadlock.
Expert Tip
Croatia are the favourites in this game, however, both teams performed on a very high level during the group stage so it will not be as easy for the Croats as some may think. Denmark’s defence line is very strong and insurmountable and this will cause a lot of trouble to Croatia. They have to be clinical in front of goal because they may not get many chances to score. Having all of the above in mind, our tip for this game is a draw at full time.
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