Croatia vs. Czech Republic: 2026 World Cup Qualifier Prediction (10.06.2025)

On Monday, June 10 at 01:45 WIB, Croatia’s national football team will host the Czech Republic at Opus Arena in Osijek in a Group L match of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. This is one of the most important matches for both teams, as they are the favorites in a group that also features Gibraltar, the Faroe Islands, and Montenegro.

In the Croatia vs. Czech Republic matchup, bookmakers’ predictions lean toward the home team. A bet on a victory for the “chequered ones” is offered at odds of 1.77, a draw at 3.90, and a win for the “national team” at 4.65. Analysts do not expect particularly high scoring from the upcoming game: over 2.5 total goals is at 1.93. Bets on both teams to score are at 1.86.

Croatia

Zlatko Dalić’s team is regularly predicted to struggle due to an aging squad. However, the “fiery ones” already have a promising young generation emerging, notably Joško Gvardiol from Manchester City, Josip Šutalo from Ajax, Martin Baturina from Dinamo Zagreb, and Petar Sučić from Inter. But in attack, the coach oddly continues to rely on experienced players. Perhaps Franjo Ivanović, who had a solid season at Union Saint-Gilloise in Brussels, deserves more playing time. In March, Croatia put up a fight against France, only losing to them in the UEFA Nations League semifinals after a penalty shootout.

Czech Republic

Ivan Hašek’s team played in UEFA Nations League B and confidently secured promotion by finishing ahead of Ukraine, Georgia, and Albania. However, the Czech coaching staff is having trouble finding young replacements for their “old guard.” Vladimír Coufal, Tomáš Souček, and Patrik Schick desperately need the support of more energetic, faster, and ambitious players. Yet the average age of the “national team” is inexorably approaching 30 years. They still have enough quality to beat the Faroe Islands and Gibraltar, but can they compete on equal footing with the group’s favorite?

Statistics and Head-to-Head

The teams have faced each other twice in the group stages of the major Euro tournaments in 2016 and 2021. Both matches ended in draws—2-2 and 1-1, respectively.

Prediction

Croatia hasn’t lost at home since October 2023. Even France fell to the “chequered ones” 2-0 at home. It seems that Croatia will approach this crucial match in their group with full responsibility, so let’s bet on Croatia to win at 1.77.