Croatia vs Spain Prediction: The Croats should not be underestimated

Spain will face Croatia in the Nations League final. The bookmakers are siding with the Spaniards, and it should be noted that the Croats have prepared well for the Nations League play-offs, and the World Cup in Qatar has shown that they should not be underestimated.

Croatia deservedly qualified for the 2022/23 Nations League final by beating the Netherlands 4:2 in extra time in the semi-final. In that game, the Dutch were the first to take the lead and won the first half (1:0). However, by the 72nd minute, they restored the status quo and took the lead thanks to goals from Kramaric and Paschalic. The Orange managed to avoid defeat only in the sixth minute, thanks to Lang's goal. In the added 30 minutes, the Balkans scored twice: Petkovic through Modric and Modric through the spot-kick gave the Croatians the 4:2 victory. It should be noted that Croatia played a great game, as we have already mentioned above - the Croatian team is in great shape.

The Spanish team played their game a day later. However, the extra time in the match against Italy did not come to an end. The Spaniards took the lead after only 3 minutes, thanks to a Pino goal, and the Italians restored the balance very quickly, after 8 minutes, thanks to Immobile's goal. The score was 1:1 up until the 88th minute when Joselu scored. The Spaniards were also statistically superior to their opponents, possessing the ball 61% of the game time, shooting 19 times toward the goal and seven times into the box. Regarding the xG index, the Spaniards scored an index of 2.23.

The Croatians were underestimated at the World Cup in Qatar and are also underestimated now. Recall that Croatia finished third at the recent tournament, unlike the failing Spaniards at the Mundial. The Red Devils are a true European top side, although the value of their squad is noticeably lower than that of the Spanish. Croatia should be ready to win a tournament like the Nations League. The Dutch team got beaten by the Netherlands, despite the extra time, and, of course, we don't forget that the Orange have also made the play-offs on home soil. In this pairing, we choose the underdog.