Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Croatia play host to Denmark at their Stadion Maksimir in a highly-anticipated Nations League game. The “Vatreni” are eyeing their third consecutive win in Group 1, but this match will be anything but a walk in the park for the home side. A man to watch in the home team will be Real Madrid ace Luka Modric, with Ivan Perisic (Tottenham), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), and Borna Barisic (Rangers) making the cut as well. Experienced Hajduk Split attacker Marko Livaja has earned a call-up following his fine displays in HNL.
The Danes, on the other hand, continue to rely on Manchester United star Christian Eriksen, while Celtic midfielder Matthew O’Riley has been omitted. Anyhow, the share of spoils is on the cards in Zagreb as the two teams seem to be evenly matched ahead of the Group 1 derby.
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 (Denmark):
The Denmark national team participated at the World Cup finals on four occasions and they recorded their best result at the 1998 tournament. The Danes made it to the quarter-finals of the 1998 World Cup in France, but Brazil proved to be a big catch for the Nordic side. De Rod-Hvide did remarkably well to win the 1992 European Championship, but they were more than fortunate to qualify for the Euro 1992 finals.
Denmark finished their qualifying campaign in second place in the group, but thanks to Yugoslavia’s exclusion from the competition, the team booked their place at the Euro 1992 finals. Denmark impressed at the tournament in Sweden, with the team outplaying Germany in the title game (2-0).
Brothers Michael and Bryan Laudrup and goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel are regarded as Denmark’s most notable players. It has to be noted that Morten Olsen was in charge of the Danish national team from 2000 to 2015. The Danes play their home games at Telia Parken and the capacity of the venue is 38,065 (all-seater).