Now that just one of the four 2022-23 UEFA Nations League (UNL) matches involving either Denmark or Croatia have been won by the favourites at kickoff (D1, L2), the hosts could have a difficult task in continuing their finest start to any of their three UNL campaigns (W2), even after they secured an eighth win from their last nine competitive games with their recent 2-1 win in Austria.
Manager Kasper Hjulmand described that result as “lucky” after a second successive UNL outing in which a Danish away victory was earned thanks to a match-winning goal after the 80-minute mark. Despite having to do it the hard way, the Danes have now earned a tremendous advantage as they embark upon two matches inside four days in Copenhagen, where they enjoy a run of five consecutive wins (14 goals scored to one) since Euro 2020.
Since eliminating Denmark from the knockout stages of the 2018 World Cup, Croatia have slipped below the Danes in FIFA’s world rankings (16th to 11th) as their toxic relationship with this competition continues. Only goal difference protected them from relegation to League B last edition and once again they are flirting with danger, taking into this fixture the worst all-time UNL record of any current League A nation (W2, D2, L8) to have spent more than one cycle in the top division.
Whilst manager Zlatko Dalić praised his team for “giving everything for Croatia” in their recent 1-1 with France, in what was a rematch of the 2018 World Cup final, they have squandered the opportunity presented by back-to-back home fixtures (D1, L1), and now have to contend with trying to win as underdogs in an opposition nation – a feat they have failed to achieve from their last three attempts (losing by one-goal margins in England, Belgium and Sweden).
Players to watch: Denmark defender Joakim Mæhle could be inspired by the return home, having scored goals in four of his last five home internationals. After netting against France, Andrej Kramarić is now seeking to repeat the successive goal scoring appearances he completed for Croatia in March 2022, having alternated between scoring and not scoring in his last five matches for club or country.
Hot streak: Denmark have completed 28 consecutive matches without a 0-0 draw.
PREDICTION: UNDER 2.5 MATCH GOALS
