It’s time for another international break as the countdown to this summer’s UEFA Euro 2024 tournament truly begins across the continent. Some nations are gearing up for a big run, whereas others didn’t make the cut and simply want to rebuild ahead of World Cup qualifying. Today, we’ll be taking a look at what should be a pretty entertaining encounter between Egypt and Croatia.
Egypt Form GuideEgypt have been known for their incredible exploits in AFCON in the past, but they haven’t really been able to translate that into World Cup success. They’ve got a lot to work on within their squad and you could certainly argue they aren’t as strong as they once were, but there are still plenty of reasons to believe they can be competitive - so long as they maximise the quality of their star attractions.
Egypt’s one and only game of the international break thus far saw them play host to New Zealand. It was a game in which they were expected to win and while they did, only coming away with a 1-0 result will probably raise a couple of eyebrows.
Croatia Form GuideThey may have only made it to the round of 16 at Euro 2021, but on the biggest stage of them all, Croatia have proven themselves to be the ultimate dark horse. They have finished in 2nd place and 3rd place at the last two World Cups and although it must be said that they have an ageing squad, we still think they’ve got enough gas left in the tank for one more big run.
Croatia took on Tunisia last week and for the most part, the African nation were able to really frustrate the visitors. It was a game that few are going to remember in the months and years to come, with the end result being a 0-0 draw.
Match PredictionThis has the potential to be a really interesting encounter between two sides that, on the face of it, are looking for new ways to reinvent themselves. Alas, we do think there’s a gulf between them in terms of overall quality, which is one of the many reasons why we’re predicting a Croatia win.
