Both nations were involved in the World Cup in Qatar last year, with the hosts securing a third-place finish, while Wales couldn't progress beyond the group-stage.
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Croatia will return to action for the first time since securing third spot in the World Cup in Qatar last year when they host Wales in a UEFA Euro 2024 qualifier at Poljud on Saturday night. Wales, meanwhile, qualified for the finals for the first time since 1958, but couldn’t progress beyond the group stages. The Red Dragons were beaten 3-0 by England in their final group-match, while Croatia also lost with an identical scoreline to eventual champions Argentina in the semi-final, but then got the better of surprise package Morocco 3-1 in the third place playoff. The previous meeting between these two nations was back in 2019 in the Euro 2020 qualifier and the match ended in a 1-1 draw after Gareth Bale canceled out Nikola Vlasic’s opener.
Team walk ✔️
Next stop Stadion Poljud 🏟#TogetherStronger | #CROWAL pic.twitter.com/mq4Bmy6YEQ
— Wales 🏴 (@Cymru) March 25, 2023
Croatia reached the last-16 stage of Euro 2020, before losing 5-3 to Spain. Nevertheless, the Checkered Ones have been brilliant in the last two editions of the World Cup, finishing runner-ups in 2018 and reaching the last four in 2022. Vatreni secured second spot in Group F, ahead of Belgium, to progress to the round of 16, where they overcame Japan on penalties to setup a thrilling quarter-final clash with Brazil. Zlatko Dalic’s side came from behind to level the score at 1-1 in the 117th-minute and then went on to prevail 4-2 on penalties. After being thrashed by Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the semi-final, the Checkered Ones defeated Morocco in the losers-final, courtesy of first-half efforts from Josko Gvardiol and Mislav Orsic.
Wales, on the other hand, had a disappointing World Cup campaign, losing two of their three games to finish at the bottom of Group B, with just one point to their name. Their talismanic striker Gareth Bale hung up his boots after the loss to England in Qatar. A new era under the captaincy of former Arsenal-man Aaron Ramsey is set to kickoff on Saturday, and it would be interesting to see how head coach Robert Page will end his side’s eight-game winless run in all competitions.
Croatia Probable Starting Lineup: Livakovic, Juranovic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Sosa, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Vlasic, Kramaric, Perisic
Wales Probable Starting Lineup: Ward, Mepham, Rodon, Cabango, Roberts, Ramsey, Ampadu, Wilson, Williams, James, Moore
Croatia
| Opponents | Score |
| Morocco | 2-1 (W) |
| Argentina | 3-0 (L) |
| Brazil | 2-1 (W) |
| Japan | 1-2 (W) |
| Belgium | 0-0 (D) |
Wales
| Opponents | Score |
| England | 3-0 (L) |
| Iran | 0-2 (L) |
| USA | 1-1 (D) |
| Poland | 0-1 (L) |
| Belgium | 2-1 (L) |
| Last 5 match-results | Score |
| Wales draw Croatia | 1-1 |
| Croatia beat Wales | 2-1 |
| Croatia beat Wales | 1-2 |
| Croatia beat Wales | 2-0 |
| Croatia beat Wales | 2-0 |
The Euro 2024 qualifier between Croatia and Wales will take place at Poljud on Sunday at 1:15 am IST.
| Croatia vs Wales | Key Details |
| Date | March 25 (UK) |
| Venue | Poljud |
| Kickoff time in Croatia | 8:45 pm (Saturday) |
| Kickoff time in UK | 7:45 pm (Saturday) |
| Kickoff time in India | 1:15 am (Sunday) |
The live telecast of the Euro 2024 qualification matches will be available on Sony Sports network. Besides fans in India can live stream through Jio TV and Sony LIV. Football fans in Croatia can catch the live action via Nova TV, while those in UK can watch the match on Viaplay network.
