Real Madrid legend Luka Modrić will reunite with his former teammate, Cristiano Ronaldo, this week as they lead Croatia and Portugal into their 2024 UEFA Nations League opener. Both teams are looking to rebound from less-than-ideal Euro 2024 performances and will be aiming for a strong start to the new season. Before the match, check out our in-depth Portugal vs Croatia betting tips and odds breakdown.
Portugal will host Croatia at the iconic Estádio da Luz in Lisbon on September 5th. The Seleção das Quinas have struggled on the Benfica home turf recently, losing two of their last three matches at the venue. Portugal will be eager to turn the tide and secure a victory in front of their passionate fans.
| ℹ️ Tournament: | UEFA Nations League 2024-25, League A, Group A1, Matchday 1 |
| ⚽️ Venue: | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon, Portugal |
| 🗓️ Date: | 5 September 2024 |
| ⏰ Time: | 18:45 GMT on Thursday |
The best football betting websites have come up with the new odds for the Portugal vs Croatia match. Before revealing our Portugal vs Croatia predictions, let’s have a look at the current bookmaker offerings:
Quite predictably, Portugal is a heavy favorite to beat Croatia, but the Checkered Ones are always ready to surprise, even being underdogs.
| Group A1 Teams | Standings | Matches Played | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Croatia | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Portugal | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Poland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Scotland | 0 | 0 | 0 |
The first two teams will qualify directly for the 2024-25 Nations League quarterfinals, which is a separate playoff tournament for the best teams of the A division. The third team will participate in the relegation playoffs, while the last team of the quartet will go to the B division.
Despite this being the first round, tough competition will force teams to fight for the first two places, and Group A1 is pretty open, with only Portugal as the clear favorite.
Legal Portuguese bookmakers are bullish on Portugal’s prospects in this match, citing their strong historical record against Croatia. However, it’s worth noting that their only defeat against the Checkered Ones came in their most recent encounter: a 2-1 loss in a Euro 2024 warm-up match earlier this year.
Despite growing concerns about his age and form, Cristiano Ronaldo will wear the captain’s armband for Portugal once again. At 39 years old, the five-time Ballon d’Or winner has been a shadow of his past self in his recent outings for Portugal. The 2016 European champions failed to score in any of their last three matches and got knocked out of the Euro 2024 quarterfinals.
The Portuguese captain did have a fine start to his Saudi Pro League campaign with Al Ahli, however, having found the back of the net four times in four appearances. With Goncalo Ramos out due to an ankle injury, Ronaldo is set to spearhead Portugal’s attack once again.
Croatia had an even more disastrous Euro 2024 campaign as they ended the group stages winless and had to pack their bags before the knockouts began. Manager Zlatko Dalić will look for a fresh start and regroup his team before the World Cup 2026 qualifications. And his team’s road to redemption starts with a clash with Portugal at the 2024 UEFA Nations League.
The experienced midfield core of Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, and Mario Pašalić will return for Croatia duty, while Ivan Perišić and Andrej Kramarić will bear the attacking responsibilities.
After studying what the best bookies in Croatia and Portugal have to offer and the relevant stats, we have come up with these Portugal vs Croatia betting picks:
1 (50%)
(50%) 1
As mentioned above, Portugal have been goal-shy in recent matches. The Croats also have an aging attack that might find it difficult to breach a Portuguese backline with the likes of Rúben Dias and António Silva. As things stand, the match doesn’t look primed to become a goal fest. So, we will go for under two goals to be scored, which should also be backed with most players only gaining their form after the season starts.
2 (100%)
0
Croatia did score against Portugal in each of the last four matches they played against them. We believe, however, that the trend breaks in this match. The Croatian attack lacks the pace and dynamism required to get the better of a well-drilled Portugal defense that will be enjoying home turf advantage.
1 (50%)
(50%) 1
Portugal managed to score only once in their last meeting with Modrić and company. Considering their recent scoring woes, it’s unlikely they’ll exceed that tally in this match. However, Portugal’s defensive solidity and home-field advantage give them a strong chance to secure a victory.
Looking at both Portugal and Croatia squads, we believe this match might not be a high-scoring affair. Betting on a low-scoring outcome could be a prudent strategy.
