Portugal vs Croatia – Friendly Match prediction, lineups

Portugal is gearing up for this summer’s European Championship with an exciting friendly against fellow Euro 2024 contenders Croatia on Saturday evening.

Roberto Martinez’s team recently secured a 4-2 victory over Finland, while Croatia heads into this match after a 3-0 win against North Macedonia. Cristiano Ronaldo, who missed the game against Finland, is expected to be back in the squad and likely to start.

Martinez plans to rotate his squad from Tuesday’s match, with Diogo Costa, Bernardo Silva, Bruno Fernandes, and Diogo Dalot all set to start. Since Portugal has one more friendly before Euro 2024 kicks off, Martinez will continue to experiment with his lineup. However, Antonio Silva and Ruben Dias are expected to stay as the central defensive duo.

Croatia, under Dalic’s guidance, is also shaping up for the European Championship. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a lineup similar to the one that faced North Macedonia. There will likely be some changes at halftime, but key players like Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic, and Andrej Kramaric are expected to keep their spots.

A significant change for Croatia will be in defense, with Josko Gvardiol, who missed the North Macedonia game, expected to start.