Poland vs Croatia, a crucial Nations League match on October 15, 2024. Since their performance in the Euro 2024 tournament, Poland has experienced a downturn. After an early exit from the European Championship, their struggles have continued into the Nations League. Though they won the opening round against Scotland, defeat by Portugal and Croatia placed them in a difficult position. Now, the only hope left for their redemption is this rematch against Croatia, and there couldn’t be stakes higher than this. 

For Croatia, the Nations League has been more positive. They have picked up two victories in their last three matches, losing only against Portugal. With a look toward the 2026 World Cup qualification, Croatia would want to make the Nations League one big preparatory competition.

Form Analysis

Poland (Form: LLDWLL)

Poland comes into this match off the back of a 1-3 defeat to Portugal, for whom Poland struggled to gain a foothold as they enjoyed only 37% possession, despite efforts from Piotr Zieliński and an own goal courtesy of Jan Bednarek. Defensively, Poland has been fragile, having conceded a total of 12 goals in their last six matches. That shaky backline will have to improve a lot if they are to pose a test for the Croatians.

Croatia (Form: LDDLWW)

On the other hand, Croatia come into this one buoyed by their 2-1 victory over Scotland, dominating possession with 51%, creating a number of scoring opportunities which Igor Matanović and Andrej Kramarić. While Croatia has had some lapses in defense, their nearly reliable ability to score over the last few games may well prove to be the decisive edge they need against Poland’s vulnerable defense.

Predicted Lineups

Poland Starting XI: Skorupski; Dawidowicz, Bednarek, Kiwior; Frankowski, Zielinski, Szymanski, Urbanski, Zalewski; Piatek, Lewandowski

Croatia Starting XI: Livakovic; Gvardiol, Caleta-Car, Sutalo; Perisic, Modric, Kovacic, Sosa; Sucic, Matanovic, Kramaric

Poland vs Croatia: Key Points

• Poland’s Recent Struggles: Poland failed to win 4 out of their last 6 matches, putting their hopes in Nations League in doubt.

• Croatia’s Goal-Scoring Consistency: Croatia has scored in each of their last five matches, which is an indicator of good attacking form.

• Previous Meeting: Croatia won the first meeting between these two teams 1-0 in a match revealing their better defenses and a facility to take advantage of their opportunities.

Betting Opportunities and Odds

Croatia is currently favored to win this crucial Nations League encounter. The odds at StarBet place Poland at 2.85 to win, while Croatia is offered at 2.24. Given Croatia’s superior recent form, they are expected to come out on top, though Poland could pose a challenge on home soil.

Poland vs Croatia: Prediction

Despite the fighting spirit in their prior game against Portugal, Poland just seems outmatched versus that level of quality by Croatia. The defense of Croatia was solid and only conceded once in their first meeting, which was closely contested. Given the attacking depth of Croatia and defensive weaknesses of Poland, the expectation going into the match will be that Croatia would narrowly win the match 1-0.