Croatia - France prediction, H2H and probable line-ups - March 20, 2025
Leo Peterson
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
On March 20, 2025, the first quarter-final match of the Nations League will take place at the "Poljud" stadium in Split, where Croatia and France will face off. I suggest betting on goals in this encounter.
Preview
The Croatian national team confidently advanced to the Nations League playoffs, finishing second in their group. The only team the Croatians couldn't surpass was Portugal. In head-to-head meetings with the Portuguese, Zlatko Dalic's squad managed to secure just one point. However, the remaining 7 points, earned in matches against Poland and Scotland, allowed them to continue their pursuit of the trophy.
Croatia's main weapon has been their home game. Two wins and one draw at home secured the team a comfortable position in the group. Moreover, the Croatians have not lost on home soil since 2023. The last team to take three points from Croatia was Turkey in the Euro 2024 qualifiers.
The French national team advanced to the Nations League playoffs from the top spot in their group, but the battle for leadership was intense. "Les Bleus" collected as many points as Italy - 13 each. The second criterion for determining the winner was head-to-head encounters, but here too was absolute parity: both teams achieved identical away victories with a score of 3:1. The decisive factor was goal difference, which gave the French a minimal advantage of +1.
After an unexpected defeat to Italy in the first round, Didier Deschamps' team did not allow any more slip-ups. All subsequent matches brought victories to France, except for a single draw with Israel. The French were particularly confident in away matches. All three away games against Belgium, Italy, and Israel ended in victories for the French team. An overall goal difference of 9:3 further emphasizes "Les Bleus'" confidence in matches on foreign soil.
Probable line-ups
- Croatia: Livakovic, Jakic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Sosa, Modric, Kovacic, Perisic, Sucic, Baturina, Kramaric
- France: Maignan, Digne, Saliba, Konate, Kounde, Guendouzi, Camavinga, Dembele, Olise, Barcola, Mbappe
Match facts and H2H
- The French team is known for its stability in attack — only in one of the last seven matches did "Les Bleus" fail to score.
- The Croatians also show impressive scoring ability. In eight recent matches, the team only once left the field without scoring.
- Head-to-head matches between these teams rarely go without both teams scoring. In four of the last five encounters, the bet "both teams to score" has consistently been a winner.
- The last time France and Croatia met on Croatian soil was in 2022. The teams could not determine a winner, ending in a 1:1 draw.
Prediction
The Croatians are reliable on their home turf — two years without a loss. France, on the other hand, shows excellent away form, having secured three consecutive victories against quite strong opponents. Based on this, the bet "both teams to score" with odds of 1.76 seems very justified.
