Russia hosts Croatia in round 4 of the World Cup qualification. The match will be played on Wednesday, September 1st at Luzhniki Arena (Moscow)
The Russian national team takes 2nd place in the group with six points scored after three rounds. In the March matches, Stanislav Cherchesov's team defeated Malta (1-3), coped with Slovenia at home (2-1), and lost to Slovakia away (1-2). After that, the Russians began preparations for Euro 2020. Before the tournament, they played two test matches with Poland (1-1) and Bulgaria (1-0). However, Cherchesov's men failed the Euro. At the group stage, the Russian national team limited itself to a minimal home victory over Finland (1-0) and lost to Belgium in St. Petersburg (0-3) and Denmark in Copenhagen (1-4). The new head coach Valeri Karpin has made significant changes in the team. In the roster for the September 2022 World Cup qualifiers, there was no place for goalkeepers Matvey Safonov and Anton Shunin, defenders Yuri Zhirkov, Fedor Kudryashov, and Andrei Semenov, midfielder Magomed Ozdoev, and striker Alexander Sobolev. For the first time in a long period, the recent leader of the team, forward Artem Dzyuba, was not called up.
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The Croatian national team is in 1st place in Group H after three games (six points). The Blazers started with an away defeat to Slovenia (0: 1), but then they beat Cyprus (1-0) and Malta (3-0) at home. Zlatko Dalic's team also played at the European Championship in the summer. In Group D, the Checkered Ones took 2nd place with four points and advanced to the 1/8 finals. There they lost to the Spanish national team in the most productive match of Euro 2020 (3-5 after extra time). The roster of Croatia for the qualifying matches in September was announced on August 16. The list of 25 names did not include goalkeeper Lovre Kalinic, defenders Sime Vrsaljko and Domagoj Bradaric, midfielder Milan Badel, as well as forwards Josip Brekalo, Ante Rebic, and Bruno Petkovic.
Both teams are at a new stage of development after Euro 2020. The Russian national team with a new head coach will play against an opponent who is going through a generational change. After a sensational performance at the 2018 World Cup, the Croatian leaders are not getting younger, and their change has not yet come to the fore in the national team. At the same time, the Croats are capable of fraying the nerves of any opponent. The Russians will have the support of 20 thousand spectators in the stands of Luzhniki. On the other hand, Karpin's debut in the national team may be overshadowed by a banal lack of experience. The new coaching staff started working just a couple of weeks ago. The more experienced and skilled Croatian national team can take advantage of these problems and take three points from Moscow.
Prediction for the match: Croatia to win with 0.0 handicap
