Armenia will host Croatia on Monday at the Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in a Euro 2024 qualifier. The hosts are now tied on points with their opponents, who are in second place and are ranked third in the group.
Preview (Armenia vs. Croatia)
They still in with a chance of making it to the group stages of the Euros for the first time. With seven points from their first four games, Havakakan is tied for third place with their forthcoming opponents and three points behind first-place Turkey with a game remaining. Oleksandr Petrakov’s team has won against Latvia and Wales, surprising the latter 4-2 at the Cardiff City Stadium back in June. This has put them in a rather good position going into the next round.
While Armenia is doing well in Group D, they may look back and regret not defeating Turkey; they lost 2-1 in their first game before drawing 1-1 in their most recent encounter. In their most recent game, Havakakan put out a heroic effort while playing away in Eskisehir. The visitors took the lead thanks to a goal from Artak Dashyan shortly after the break. The hosts managed to tie the score through Bertug Yildirim very late on, depriving the visitors the three points. As a result, Armenia’s victory on Monday might be crucial. They will have a tough challenge against a Croatia team that hasn’t dropped a game yet.
Of all the teams in Group D, Vatreni has played the fewest games, only three total. During those three games, they have collected seven points, with their most recent performance coming against Latvia. Zlatko Dalic’s team won 5-0 at Stadion HNK Rijeka after controlling possession and scoring 28 shots. This result followed a significant triumph over Turkey back in March. With Mateo Kovacic scoring twice, Croatia easily defeated what appeared to be a difficult opponent 2-0 in the Timsah Arena. Due to their head-to-head record against Turkey, Vatreni would move to the top of Group D at the halfway point with a victory on Monday night. They would also move three points ahead of their opponents, giving them some much-needed breathing room.
Team News
Petrakov is likely pleased with his Armenian team’s performance against Turkey despite their inability to hold onto their advantage, thus he might remain with the same starting lineup, employing a 4-2-3-1 configuration. Grant-Leon Ranos, 20, has established himself as a starter for Borussia Monchengladbach this season after playing in two Bundesliga games. The 20-year-old has already scored two goals in the team’s Euro 2024 qualification campaign. Dalic, Croatia’s manager, is likely to field a similar team on Monday, also in a 4-2-3-1 shape. He selected a very good starting lineup against Latvia in their last match.
With four goals in his last two games for club and country, Bruno Petkovic might provide a threat to Vatreni. The holding midfielder Luka Modric could continue to play close behind Luka Ivanusec. He scored his second goal for his country in the most recent game. Armenia has been quite good in the Euro 2024 qualifying process. They have been punching above their weight to earn victories over Wales and Turkey. Croatia, on the other hand, ought to possess the ability to pull out a slim victory, which would place them at the top of Group D.
Armenia 0 – 1 Croatia
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