They’ll have to if they want to have a chance at qualifying for the next round. Nigeria is currently second in Group D with three points, but it’s widely expected the Africans will lose to Argentina. If that were to happen, Messi’s team would jump ahead of both Nigeria and Iceland. That is unless Iceland wins, in which case goal difference becomes the detemining factor.
Kick off
Tuesday (June 26), 20:00, Rostov Arena (Rostov)
Referee: Mateu Lahoz (SPA)
Even though Croatia have won two World Cup games in a row for the first time since 1998, there’s a silver lining for Heimir Hallgrímsson’s lads. The Croats have never won three consecutive World Cup matches before. The Vikings, on the other hand, are on their worst run since 2012. They are winless in their last eight contests (3 draws, 5 losses). These two teams seem to be inseparable lately. They played against each other in three of the last four World Cup qualification groups and now they meet again in the main event. Hallgrimsson is hopeful the familiarity will help:
”We know the scenario when we play Croatia: It’s going to be a really tough game,”
”We’ve often said we’re like a married couple. We’re trying to get divorced, but we always meet up again.”
In addition to the familiarity, Zlatko Dalic is reportedly planning to rest some his players for the group’s last fixture. Considering the first place has been secured, that might not be such a bad idea. Like Hallgrimsson said: “It’s going to be a really tough game,”. An injury to Modric, Rakitic or another important player right before the knockout round in what is realistically a meaningless match would haunt Dalic for life. Therefore, expect to see players like Mateo Kovacic, Andrej Kramaric, Tin Jedvaj, Milan Badelj, Marko Pjaca and Vedran Corluka enter the starting lineup. Marcelo Brozovic will be unavailable due to an accumulation of yellow cards.
Iceland has won only one out of the six meetings with Croatia, but it was the last one. Both teams have a history of red cards in their head-to-head duels, with three having been handed out in their last four encounters.
The loss to Nigeria has made the seemingly great display against Argentina in the opener, appear more like a consequence of La Albiceleste’s bad play than the Nordic side’s football ability. Even with a mixed lineup, Croatia is still an intimidating opponent. Those secondary players will see this match as an opportunity to showcase their skills and earn some more playing time in the future. It’s highly doubtful Iceland will manage to get the better off a team that already knows how to play them.
Odds
Iceland 4.75
Draw 3.6
Croatia 1.72