On Sunday evening, the UEFA Nations League final between Croatia and Spain will take place at Feyenoord’s De Kuip.
The Croatians eliminated the Netherlands to secure their spot in the championship match, while La Roja eliminated Italy to secure their position.
Can Spain atone for their 2021 Nations League championship defeat against France? Will Croatia win the trophy for its inaugural time or not?
On Wednesday, Croatia and the Netherlands drew 2-2, and replacement Noa Lang’s goal in the 96th minute sent the match into extra time.
Bruno Petkovic and Luka Modric’s goals in extra time sealed a 4-2 win for the Croatians, who maintained their calm and utilised their experience to strike twice.
Only one of Croatia’s previous 16 games had ended in a loss in regulation time, and that setback occurred in the semifinals of the World Cup in Qatar against the defending champions, Argentina.
It’s also important to remember that Croatia won three games after extra time or penalties in their previous seven contests, demonstrating their ability to persevere.
On the other hand, Spain overcame Italy on Thursday to go to the final, and veteran striker Joselu scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute after coming off the bench.
La Roja had a lacklustre international break in March, winning 3-0 against Norway before shockingly losing 2-0 to Scotland.
Additionally, the Spanish exited the 2022 World Cup early after losing to eventual semifinalist Morocco in the round of 16.
Nevertheless, Spain has only lost two of their last nine games played in regulation, so they ought to be confident of defeating Croatia and winning the championship.
Head-to-head: In their most recent meeting, which took place in the final 16 of the European Championship in 2021, Spain defeated Croatia 5-3 in extra time.
So far in all competitions, La Roja has prevailed in four of their previous six encounters with Croatia, scoring more than 1.5 goals on five of those occasions.
Team news: Ivan Perisic will play left back on Sunday, with Croatia’s seasoned midfield trio of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, and Mateo Kovacic expected to start.
Alvaro Morata is poised to lead the line for Spain, with Rodri and Aymeric Laporte of Manchester City set to start.
If Croatia’s last match against Spain is any indication, Sunday’s final will probably be another high-scoring contest with a great deal of excitement.
TV Stations that will UEFA Nations League final between Croatia and Spain
- GOTV
- Startimes
- Azam
- DSTV