Portugal v Croatia: 2026 World Cup Prediction

We can safely conclude that Portugal had expected more from the group stage. They won just one match, whilst two matches ended without a win. In addition, criticism has, unsurprisingly, flared up once again regarding Cristiano Ronaldo’s presence in the squad. Is he too old? Is he getting in the way? For the time being, he remains Portugal’s top scorer with two goals. The next hurdle for the Portuguese is Croatia, a side that always performs well. Are you ready for this cracking match? Here’s our Portugal v Croatia prediction.

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Portugal v Croatia preview

Just like Brazil v Japan and the Netherlands v Morocco, the match between Portugal and Croatia pits two teams against each other who are very much on a par. And yet Portugal seem to be slight favourites. Can they live up to this role? Here’s a brief look at both teams.

Current Form & Team News

Portugal

Following Portugal’s 1–1 draw against the D.R. Congo, there was a lot of commotion surrounding the Portuguese squad. Roberto Martinez’s team came in for fierce criticism from all over the world, mainly because everything still seems to revolve around Cristiano Ronaldo. He repeatedly prioritised his own success, sometimes got in the way, and yet was not taken off. This changed after the match against Uzbekistan, in which CR7 scored twice. Even so, the Southern Europeans’ performance in the match against Colombia was far from impressive. There will therefore certainly be concerns about a possible early exit.

Croatia

What applies to Croatia applies at least as much to Croatia. Zlatko Dalic’s side scraped through and qualified for the next round in second place behind England. They lost the match against England, before narrowly beating Panama 1–0. They then needed to secure at least a point against Ghana, although the match ultimately ended 2–1 in a hard-fought encounter. Here, too, a major question arises: is Luka Modric still up to the task? The 40-year-old star from the Balkan nation has certainly not lost his touch, but it is plain to see that he has lost a great deal of his pace.

Head-to-Head

Portugal and Croatia have played each other ten times in the past. Interestingly, all these matches have taken place in the last 30 years, simply because Croatia has not been a nation for very long. Portugal won six times, Croatia won once, and there were three draws.

Expected line-ups

Portugal (4-3-3):

Costa, Mendes, Inácio, Dias, Cancelo, Neves, Vitinha, Fernandes, Leão, Ronaldo, Neto

Croatia (4-3-3):

Livakovic, Gvardiol, Caleta-Car, Sutalo, Stanisic, Kovacic, Modric, Pasalic, Perisic, Budimir, Kramaric

Portugal v Croatia betting tips

Betting tip 1: Both teams to score

When looking for the best Portugal v Croatia betting tips, it’s always worth taking a look back at past results. There’s something striking about the last six matches these two sides have played against each other. In each of these six matches, both Portugal and Croatia found the back of the net. We’re going with this line and picking ‘Both teams to score’ – YES. This gives you odds of 1.92.

Betting tip 2: Bruno Fernandes to score or provide an assist

Of course, for Portugal, it’s all about Cristiano Ronaldo. But we mustn’t underestimate someone like Bruno Fernandes either. The all-time record holder for the number of assists in a single Premier League season is once again proving invaluable in this World Cup with his corners and free kicks. As Croatia appear vulnerable from set pieces, we expect him to score a goal or provide an assist. This will earn you odds of 2.20.

Prediction: Portugal v Croatia

** Final score: Portugal 1–1 Croatia **
We expect a closely fought match, in which both teams will decide at some point that enough is enough – mainly to avoid being caught out late on. We’re therefore predicting a draw, with the match going to penalties.