Croatia vs Latvia

Croatia’s bid to close the gap on the top-two teams in Euro 2024 qualifying Group D pits them against Latvia at the Stadion HNK Rijeka.

Seeking redemption after a demoralizing penalty shoot-out loss to Spain in June’s 2022/23 UEFA Nations League final, Croatia can draw confidence from their two-game unbeaten Group D start (W1, D1). After conceding a last-gasp equalizer in a 1-1 home draw against Wales on day one, Zlatko Dalic’s side thumped Turkey 2-0 on the road, extending their unbeaten streak in Euro qualifying matches to eight (W5, D3). Adding a ninth to the tally looks inevitable, especially considering the Croats haven’t lost a single Euro qualifier on home soil since gaining admission to UEFA in 1993. Latvia’s visit to Rijeka bodes well too, with the ‘Blazers’ winning all four previous qualifying H2Hs for major international tournaments (Euro/World Cup) via an emphatic aggregate scoreline of 10-1.

In the meantime, as the lowest-ranked team by FIFA in Group D, Latvia (#134) head into this encounter searching for their first points in the ongoing qualifying campaign. Indeed, the visitors have lost all three Group D fixtures via single-goal margins, suggesting they won’t go down with a fight. Nothing but a fighting spirit can save them from another disappointment, especially after losing their last three away matches following an impressive seven-game undefeated streak on the road (W4, D3). Adding to head coach Dainis Kazakevics’ list of worries, his men lost their last seven away Euro qualifying games, underlining their underdog status in this contest. A run of four straight international travels without a clean sheet cannot inspire much confidence either.