On November 19 at 3:45 AM China Time, the 6th round of Group A in the UEFA Nations League A will see Croatia host Portugal. Currently, Portugal has already secured the top spot in the group, while the home team, Croatia, needs one more point to ensure a place in the knockout stage.
Croatia could have avoided this precarious situation. The “Checkerboard Army” lost 1-2 to Portugal in the first round of the UEFA Nations League, but managed to secure 7 points in the next three rounds. Unfortunately, they were defeated 0-1 by Aston Villa midfielder John McGinn’s near-decisive goal at Hampden Park on November 16, missing the opportunity to secure second place in the group with a game to spare.
Croatia currently leads Poland and Scotland by 3 points. Due to their superior head-to-head record against Poland, the Checkerboard Army cannot be directly relegated. They need just one point from their home match against Portugal to ensure a second-place finish and a spot in the knockout stage. If Scotland fails to beat Poland away, Croatia will advance directly.
Portugal, who have been dominant in the UEFA Nations League group stage, secured the top spot in Group A a round early. Their star player, Cristiano Ronaldo, scored twice to help the team win 5-1 against Poland, marking his 132nd victory in 132 international appearances, surpassing Sergio Ramos’ previous record of 131 wins to stand alone at the top of the historical leaderboard.
In fact, Martinez’s team has not faced any significant challenges in the UEFA Nations League group stage. Scotland, currently at the bottom of the group, is the only team to have earned a point against Portugal. The Portuguese seem particularly adept at playing away matches in the UEFA Nations League, having lost only once in their last 10 away games.
In terms of personnel, with Portugal securing the top spot, Martinez has allowed stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and Diogo Neto to return to their respective clubs early, which is good news for Premier League teams with busy schedules. In their place, Fabio Silva and Kunda have been promoted from the Portugal U21 team to gain experience with the senior squad. It is expected that Martinez will make significant changes to the lineup for Monday’s match, with Joao Felix, Cancelo, and Vitiña likely to start, and Jose Sa potentially replacing Diogo Costa as the starting goalkeeper.
For Croatia, Susic is suspended after receiving a red card in the match against Scotland, and either Pasalic or Vlasic will replace him. If Jakic, who was injured late in the last match, does not recover in time, Pongracic will start at right-back. The good news is that the main goalkeeper, Livakovic, is available again after serving his suspension.
Although Croatia has won only one of their last eight encounters with Portugal, they will still strive to avoid a passive position at home. Considering Portugal’s potential large-scale rotation, the Checkerboard Army may have a chance to secure the necessary points for qualification.
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