Croatia vs Nigeria – Lineups, Predictions & Stats Preview 16 June 2018
Looking for a strong Croatia v Nigeria tip could be a tall order. If there's one thing missing from this World Cup, it's a traditional Group of Death - but Group D might well be the closest thing. You'd have to be mad to bet against Argentina advancing, and World Cup debutants Iceland are, despite a strong showing at Euro 2016, unlikely to make it out of the group stages. That means that second place is up for grabs, and Croatia v Nigeria is bound to be nail-biting stuff, with both teams eager to make it through to the knock-out stage.
Croatia Probable Lineups And Stats
Croatia’s journey to the World Cup got off on the wrong foot, with sanctions against their notoriously rowdy fans forcing them to play two home matches to an empty stadium. After a limp qualifying campaign, they squeaked into the World Cup after beating Greece in the play-offs.
Out of their lost 12 games, they won 7, drew 3 and lost 2 – and that includes embarrassing defeats to Turkey and fellow Group D members Iceland. Their unimpressive 1.73 goal per game average (with an average of 12.5 attempts) includes a 6-0 hammering of minnows Kosovo, but they conceded just 0.4 goals per game, with 7 clean sheets. But their less-than-stellar journey to Russia doesn’t tell the full story. Croatia is a team with undeniable star power, particularly with La Liga rivals Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric in midfield. Inter Milan striker Ivan Perisic scored twice in the last World Cup and will be keen to add to his tally. In the qualifiers, they kept 55% possession, and 84% pass completion. In terms of fair play, their 137 fouls are nothing to be proud of, but they only picked up 9 yellow cards and 1 red – in Europe, only Germany and Poland managed fewer than that.
After endless tinkering, Croatia seem to have settled on a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Nikola Kalinic alone up front, supported by attacking midfielders Luca Modric, Ivan Perisic and Mario Mandzukic. The lineup should include defensive midfielders Ivan Rakitic and Marcelo Brozovic, and defenders Sime Vrsaljko, Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren and Josip Pivaric, with Danijel Subasic in goal. But watch out – injury concerns and, in the case of Lovren, impending legal issues could see that lineup change quite a bit before Russia.
Nigeria Probable Lineups And Stats
Nigeria, on the other hand, had a much smoother time in the qualifiers, easily finishing at the top of CAF Group B ahead of Zambia, Cameroon and Algeria to become the first African team to book a place in Russia. Even having a result overturned after fielding an ineligible player – a decision which saw a 1-1 draw with Algeria turned into a 3-0 defeat – couldn’t dampen the Super Eagles’ spirits. Apart from that incident, Nigeria were undefeated in qualifying, with a particularly impressive 4-0 defeat of African heavyweights Cameroon. Chelsea winger Victor Moses shone in the campaign, netting 3 goals, and midfielder John Ogu impressed with a stunner against Algeria. Nigeria kept 4 clean sheets during the qualifiers, with an average of 1.75 goals per game. They’re enjoying good form at the moment, having defeated Argentina in a November 2017 friendly, although their game is scrappy, depending on pace on the counter-attack. Ex-Chelsea man John Obi Mikel, currently playing in China, continues to captain Nigeria in what is likely to be his last World Cup and brings a level of wisdom and experience which the team will be hoping to build on.
Nigeria favour a 4-3-3 lineup. The squad who dominated Cameroon and Zambia in the qualifiers are likely to make an appearance: Goalkeeper Ikechukwu Ezenwa, defenders Shehu Abdullahi, William Troost-Ekong, Leon Balogun and Elderson Echiejile, midfielders Wilfred Ndidi, Ogenyi Onazi and John Obi Mikel, and strikers Moses Simon, Victor Moses and Odion Ighalo.
Croatia v Nigeria – Head To Head
Croatia and Nigeria have never met, although both teams have been regulars at the World Cup. Croatia’s best performance remains their 1998 debut, when the newly-independent nation left its mark on the world stage by getting all the way to the semis, knocking out Germany on the way before losing in a 2-1 nail-biter to eventual winners France.
They took home the consolation prize of the third-place medal, but they failed to build on that early promise, failing to make it out of the group stages in 2002 and 2006. Croatia didn’t make it out of qualifying in 2010, but in 2014 they were back and seemed stronger than ever. Unfortunately, they languished in Group A following a controversial defeat by hosts Brazil that led many to question the referee’s decisions.
Nigeria also started out strong in their first showing at the World Cup, topping their group in 1994 and making it to the Round of 16. Four years later, they matched that record, but in 2002 they went home in the first round, and they failed to qualify in 2006. A disappointing result in South Africa 2010, with Nigeria, again booking the early flight home, saw the country’s president trying to ban the team. But the plucky Super Eagles were back in 2014 and won their first World Cup match since 1998. They reached the round of 16 for the third time, where they were knocked out by France following a disastrous own goal.
Expert Tip
Despite what their very different qualifying results might suggest, Croatia still looks like the better bet. Players like Modric, Rakitic, Mandzukic and Perisic are at the height of their powers, while some of Nigeria’s squad, like Ahmed Musa and Kelechi Iheanacho, haven’t been playing regular club football. But Nigeria are a physically strong team riding high on a wave of momentum, and they won’t go down without a fight. Croatia will likely win, but you can expect the Super Eagles to pull a goal back.
Interesting Facts and Information
- Nigeria haven’t won in their last 4 games.
- Croatia wins 1st half in 10% of their games, Nigeria in 25% of their games.
- Croatia wins 10% of halftimes, Nigeria wins 25%.
- Croatia’s recent performance is better than Nigeria’s.
- Croatia scores 2 goals when playing at home and Nigeria scores 0.9 goals when playing away (in average).
- When Croatia leads 1-0 at home, they win in 66% of their games.
- When Nigeria leads 0-1 away, they win in 60% of their games.
- When Croatia is down 0-1 home, they win 100% of their games.
- When Nigeria is down 1-0 away, they win 20% of their games.
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