Croatia take on Iceland in both sides’ last game in the group stages of the FIFA World Cup. Croatia secured their qualification to the next round with a historic 3-0 victory over South American giants Argentina. The Balkan state requires just one point in order to secure a first-place finish in Group D. Iceland only have a single point so far. They need to win and hope Argentina beat Nigeria by a smaller scoreline than their hypothetical victory over Croatia. Iceland’s fate is no longer in their own hands. A Nigeria victory will definitely knock the Scandinavians out of this year’s World Cup. Here is your Croatia v Iceland preview.
Croatia v Iceland: Vikings’ Last Stand?
Potential World Cup Round of 16 Opponents
Should Croatia secure top spot, their next opponent will be the second-placed side in Group C. Denmark and France are both undefeated in that group and meet before Croatia play. The loser will be the team Croatia faces next. It is likely that France will win. As one of the favourites for the competition, France represents a far greater task than Denmark.
This is bad news for Iceland as Croatia are unlikely to rest players or “take it easy”. Croatia will be desperate to secure top spot and as a result, secure the easier tie on paper. Should results go their way, Iceland will finish second and face the daunting task of facing the 2016 European Championship finalists France.
Predictions
Iceland needs a win. They have found success in previous games from sitting back and stealing a late goal from a set piece. They cannot do this against Croatia. The Balkan giants only need a draw to go through.
As seen against Nigeria, when Iceland attempt to play a more attacking style, they aren’t as effective and it harms their defensive capabilities. Croatia doesn’t need to go all out to try and secure a win and Iceland simply do not possess the quality to break them down through expansive, attacking football.
Croatia will likely sit back, wait for Iceland to make mistakes and hit them on the counter.
Prediction: Croatia 3-1 Iceland
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