Croatia vs Spain Preview

Croatia host Spain at the Stadion Poljud on Tuesday looking to stop a slide that has seen them concede 11 goals across their last two Nations League outings, and the visitors could hardly be a tougher opponent to try it against. Spain arrive as the only side in Group C with a perfect record, nine points from three games, and they beat Croatia 4-1 at home in the reverse fixture only a week ago, so the two sides meet for the second time in a week. That result started a run of two straight defeats for the hosts, the second of them a 7-0 home loss to England on Saturday, and it has left Croatia third on three points with a goal difference of -9. Croatia’s only group win so far came away from home, 2-1 in Czech Republic on the opening night. Spain have scored ten goals in the group so far and conceded four, and they haven’t lost any of their last five matches in all competitions. For Croatia, a first home point of the campaign would at least steady things before the final two group games; for Spain, a fourth straight group win would tighten their grip on top spot.

Croatia have lost three of their last five, and the latest of those was the heaviest: a 7-0 defeat at home to England on Saturday. Four days earlier they lost 4-1 away to Spain, so the hosts have conceded 11 times in their last two matches while scoring just once. Their Nations League campaign opened with a 2-1 away win in Czech Republic, still the source of the three points they hold, though their 12 goals conceded in three group games is now the most in Group C. At the World Cup, Croatia lost 2-1 away to Portugal on 3 July, and six days before that they beat Ghana 2-1 at home. That leaves two wins and three defeats from five, with six goals scored and 15 conceded, and both wins in the sample came by a single goal.

Spain are five from five, and Saturday’s 3-1 home win over Czech Republic kept their Nations League record perfect. The 4-1 home win over Croatia came four days before that, and the group campaign opened with a 3-2 win away to England at Wembley on 26 September, so ten goals in three group games. At the World Cup in July, Spain beat Argentina 1-0 at home after extra time on 19 July to lift the trophy, and five days earlier they won 2-0 away to France. Across the five matches they have scored 13 and conceded four, with clean sheets in both World Cup games but at least one goal conceded in each of their three group fixtures. Three of the five wins came by two goals or more, and the Argentina game was the only one that needed extra time.

Spain have had the better of this fixture, coming out on top in four of the last five meetings, one of them via a penalty shootout, while Croatia have won once. The reverse fixture last week ended 4-1 to Spain at home, and the meeting before that was a 3-0 home win for Spain at the Euros in June 2024, so Croatia have scored just once across the last two. The June 2023 Nations League meeting finished 0-0 before Spain won 5-4 on penalties, and two years before that Spain won 5-3 away after extra time at the Euros. Croatia’s only win in the run came 3-2 at home in November 2018.

Spain top Group C on nine points, three clear of England, while Croatia sit third on three. A win at the Stadion Poljud would take Spain to 12 points and guarantee they stay top whatever happens at Wembley in the other group game.

Croatia’s home clash with Spain will be shown in Spain on TVE La 1, RTVE Play, Movistar+ and fuboTV España, while US viewers can watch on fuboTV and ViX. Elsewhere, it’s on Ziggo Sport 3 and Ziggo Go in the Netherlands, Sport TV1, Sport TV Multiscreen and Match Player in Portugal, Polsat Sport 1 and Polsat Box Go in Poland, and Viaplay Sweden in Sweden. Further afield, Mexico has it on Sky Sports Mexico, Sky+ and izzi, with beIN Sports Connect New Zealand carrying it in New Zealand.

Possible Lineups

Croatia — Form

Spain — Form

Head-to-Head

Where to Watch

Table

Group C Standings