Gibraltar vs Croatia

On Friday, Croatia kicks off their World Cup qualifying campaign against Gibraltar at Estadio Do Algarve.

Gibraltar sit at the bottom of their five-team Group L with zero points after a 4-0 defeat to the Czech Republic on March 25. Meanwhile, Croatia, yet to play a match in the group, hold third place.

The heavy loss to the Czech Republic was not surprising for Gibraltar, a team that has never reached a major tournament. Their performance was lackluster, managing just one shot in the game. Across their two group matches, they’ve recorded only two shots on target and scored three goals in their last five outings.

Under coach Julio Ribas, Gibraltar have struggled defensively, conceding nine goals in their past five matches, resulting in a group-worst goal difference of minus seven. However, prior to their recent two-game losing streak, they were unbeaten in seven matches, drawing five times.

At home, Ribas’s squad has shown resilience, securing two wins, three draws, and one loss in their last six matches at Estadio Do Algarve.

Croatia, on the other hand, come off a 2-0 loss to France in the Nations League quarter-final second leg, where they squandered a 2-0 first-leg lead and fell 5-4 on penalties. This marked their fourth failure to win in five recent matches, with two losses and one victory.

The Blazers have conceded seven goals while scoring six in those five games. Manager Zlatko Dalic faces pressure to secure World Cup qualification, given Croatia’s strong showings as third-place finishers in 2022 and runners-up in 2018.

On the road, Croatia have struggled, going winless in their last five away matches with three losses, two draws, and one victory.