Preview: Czech Republic vs Croatia - prediction, team news, lineups

Czech Republic and Croatia will lock horns in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening.

The duo are competing in Group 3 of League A in the 2026-27 tournament alongside England and Spain, who will be the favourites to finish in the top two positions in the section.

Match preview

Czech Republic are back in League A of the Nations League following their League B promotion in 2024-25, and their overall record in the competition is 10 wins, three draws and nine defeats from 22 matches.

The Representatives competed at the 2026 World Cup but were unable to get through the group stage, picking up just one point, which came in a 1-1 draw with South Africa.

Czech Republic were last victorious in June, beating Guatemala 3-1 in a friendly.

Santi Denia's side will take on Croatia and England in back-to-back home fixtures before the end of the month; October will then bring matches away to Spain and England on October 3 and October 6 respectively.

Czech Republic have locked horns with Croatia on six previous occasions and are yet to win, boasting a record of three draws and three defeats.

The last match between these two sides was a 2026 World Cup qualifier in October 2025, with the points being shared in a goalless draw.

Croatia were also present at the 2026 World Cup, making it to the last-32 stage of the competition, being knocked out of the tournament by Portugal.

Slaven Bilic has returned for a second spell at the helm, with the well-travelled head coach previously in charge of the national side between July 2006 and May 2012.

The Blazers finished as runners-up in the 2022-23 Nations League, losing to Spain in the final, and they have always competed in League A.

Croatia will take on Spain (A) in their final game of the month, before facing England (H) and Spain (H) in their two October Nations League fixtures.

Czech Republic form (all competitions):

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Croatia form (all competitions):

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Team News

Czech Republic are once again set to have Adam Hlozek in the final third of the field, with the 24-year-old looking to add to the five goals that he has scored for the national side.

Patrik Schick is no longer involved with Czech Republic, having retired after the 2026 World Cup, which could open up a spot for Lyon's Pavel Sulc in the final third.

There should also be positions in the team for both Alex Kral and Michal Sadilek.

As for Croatia, Luka Modric is still going strong at the age of 41, and the experienced midfielder is in line to win his 203rd cap in this match.

There are not expected to be many surprises in the Croatia team for this contest, with Mateo Kovacic also in line for a spot in midfield, in addition to Luka Sucic.

Ante Budimir has seven goals for his country and has started the season well for Osasuna, scoring five times in seven appearances; the 35-year-old should lead the attack.

Czech Republic possible starting lineup:

Kovar; Vitik, Hranac, Krejci; Coufal, Kral, Cerv, Sadilek, Karabec; Sulc, Hlozek

Croatia possible starting lineup:

Livakovic; Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol; Modric, Kovacic; Vlasic, Sucic, Baturina; Budimir

We say: Czech Republic 1-2 Croatia

This is a tough match to call, and we are expecting it to be close in terms of the scoreline. However, Croatia's additional quality should see them secure all three points.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.