Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Croatia
Match Time & Date:
03/06/2022
02:45 PM
Prediction: 1-0
Austria
Stadion Gradski vrt in Osijek will host Friday’s Nations League game between Croatia and Austria, who meet for the first time since May 2010. The Croats secured automatic World Cup qualification thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win over Russia, meaning that they are high on spirits ahead of their Nations League opener. Real Madrid ace Luka Modric, who helped los Blancos beat Liverpool in the Champions League final, could be rested against Austria, while Inter forward Ivan Perisic has been ruled out with injury.
Both Musa and Livaja are likely to miss the game through illness. The Austrians, on the other hand, failed to impress in the World Cup playoffs, with the team losing to Wales in Cardiff, and seeing that tired legs could prove to be a big problem for key player David Alaba, we are tempted to put our money on Zlatko Dalic’s charges.
Highlighted Player (Luka Modric):
Luka Modric is regarded as one of the best central midfielders in world football. The Croatian ace is a product of Dinamo Zagreb’s youth school and it has to be noted that he played 94 league games for the Modri between 2003 and 2008. In 2008 he signed a six-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £16.5 million.
Luka made his Tottenham debut on 16 August, 2008 in a 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough at Riverside Stadium. The Croatian star scored only 13 goals in 127 league appearances for the Spurs, but he is well known for his brilliant passing. In 2012 he signed for Real Madrid for a fee of £30 million and he made his debut against Barcelona in the 2012 Spanish Super Cup, return leg.
Modric quickly established himself as a first-team regular and, no doubt, he helped the capital club win two Champions League trophies (2013/2014, 2015/2016). You should bear in mind that he was named Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014.
Highlighted Team (Austria):
Austria is one of Europe’s oldest national football teams and they enjoyed plenty of success during the 1930’s, earning the nickname Wunderteam in the process. Das Team achieved a fourth-place finish at the second World Cup in 1934, before finishing in third place at the 1954 finals. However, Austria have since participated at another five World Cup finals, never getting past the first knockout stage.
Das Team were even more disappointing in the European Championship qualifying campaigns, failing to qualify for 12 straight tournaments before appearing at the 2008 finals as co-hosts. However, Austria made it to the Euro 2016 in style, winning nine of ten qualifiers to suggest the team may be on the path to return to old glory days.
Former Bayern Munich midfielder Andreas Herzog is the team’s most capped footballer with 103 appearances, whereas Toni Polster is the most prolific striker with 44 goals in 95 outings. Matthias Sinderlar, Ernst Ocwirk, Herbert Prohaska and Hans Krankl are some of the most notable players to have represented Austria over the years.
