Analysis and prediction for Croatia vs Gibraltar: A ruthless annihilation.
The World Cup qualifying match between Croatia and Gibraltar will take place at 1:45 AM on October 13th. Nghe An newspapers, radio, and television will analyze the teams' form, provide football commentary, and predict the score.
Latest information on the Croatia vs Gibraltar squad.
Croatia kept a clean sheet against the Czech Republic despite the absence of defender Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich) due to a leg injury.
After failing to score in the previous match, coach Zlatko Dalic may make some adjustments to the attack, with Franjo Ivanovic and Marco Pasalic being potential options.
Against a weak opponent like Gibraltar, it is highly likely that Croatia's reserve players will be given a chance to play, in a match where they are expected to provide a goal-scoring feast for the home crowd.
On Gibraltar's side, left-back Julian Valarino is still eligible to play despite receiving a red card in the friendly match against New Caledonia.
The visitors' biggest hope is James Scanlon – the 19-year-old midfielder currently on the books of Manchester United's academy – who is seen as a "small ray of light" amidst the many difficulties ahead of this clash.
Latest predicted lineups for Croatia vs Gibraltar
Croatia:
Livakovic; Jakic, Sutalo, Caleta-Car, Gvardiol; Modric, Sucic, Ivanovic, Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic; Fruk
Gibraltar:
Banda; Jolley, McClafferty, Lopes, Valarino; Bent, Scanlon, Clinton; Richards, Jessop, De Barr
Latest football match prediction: Croatia vs Gibraltar
After a 0-2 defeat to the 2022 World Cup runners-up, France, in the Nations League quarter-finals, Croatia quickly regained their form, winning all four of their opening Group L qualifying matches before being held to a draw by the Czech Republic on Thursday evening.
While they scored 17 goals in their first four matches, in their most recent outing, the "Vatreni" attack struggled, managing only two shots on target and failing to beat goalkeeper Matej Kovar (PSV Eindhoven).
Despite dropping points, Croatia is still in a strong position in the race for the top spot in Group L and a direct ticket to the 2026 World Cup in North America, level on points with the Czech Republic but with one game in hand.
With 17 goals, they are only behind Austria (19 goals) and the Netherlands (18 goals) in the list of top-scoring teams in the European qualifiers. Their attack is praised for its explosiveness, but Croatia's defense is also extremely solid – goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic has kept three consecutive clean sheets.
Under the guidance of coach Zlatko Dalic – who led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final – the Balkan team recently celebrated his 100th match as head coach, with a 55% win rate and only 25 defeats.
Meanwhile, Gibraltar had a rather forgettable preparation for their trip to Croatia, having just lost 0-2 to New Caledonia in a friendly match at Europa Point.
Gibraltar had previously lost to New Zealand in March, missing out on a World Cup spot. Despite being ranked only 150th in the FIFA rankings, New Caledonia easily overcame their opponent thanks to goals from Jean-Jacques Katrawa and Germain Haewegene.
Since the beginning of 2024, Gibraltar has gone seven consecutive matches without a win (losing all official matches), with the only positive result being a 1-1 draw against Moldova in November 2024.
In Group L, the team nicknamed "Team 54" still has no points after five matches, sitting at the bottom of the table and six points behind Montenegro, who are above them in the standings.
In the first leg of this summer's match, Gibraltar suffered a crushing 0-7 defeat against Croatia. Therefore, it's difficult to expect the visitors to pull off an upset on this trip. The last time they won an official away match was against Liechtenstein in October 2020.
Latest Croatia vs Gibraltar score prediction
Based on the above football analysis, we and leading football websites worldwide have provided our predictions for the match.Croatia vs Gibraltaras follows:
- Sportsmole:Croatia 6-0 Gibraltar
- WhoScore:Croatia 6-1 Gibraltar
- We predict:Croatia 6-0 Gibraltar
When and where can I watch Croatia vs Gibraltar live?
To watch the Croatia vs Gibraltar match live in the World Cup qualifiers, taking place at 1:45 AM on October 13th, viewers can tune in to the following channels:K+ Sport,K+PMor online sports channels. We hope you enjoy watching football.
