Form and Line-up Croatia
Croatia will be one of the most experienced teams at the World Cup. The team came through qualifying calmly: seven wins and one draw in eight matches. But on 2 June in Rijeka, Zlatko Dalic's side lost to Belgium (0:2), and the attack looked laboured: 57% possession, five shots and one on target. Before the start of the World Cup, it is more important for the home team not to squeeze the maximum out of a warm-up match, but to protect their leaders and assess the closest reserves.
Key numbers:
In their last five head-to-head meetings with Slovenia, Croatia scored eight goals and conceded four.
In World Cup qualifying, Croatia conceded four goals in eight matches, an average of 0.5 goals per game.
Croatia did not lose a single match in World Cup qualifying.
Probable line-up (3-4-2-1): Dominik Livakovic - Josko Gvardiol, Luka Vuskovic, Josip Sutalo - Josip Stanisic, Marcelo Brozovic, Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic - Martin Baturina, Petar Sucic - Ante Budimir.
Absentees: -.
Form and Line-up Slovenia
Slovenia had a difficult World Cup qualifying campaign: no wins, only three goals scored in six matches and third place in the group. In the spring, Bostjan Cesar started his work with a defeat to Hungary (0:1), then the team beat Montenegro (3:2). But there are still plenty of questions about the performance. Without Benjamin Sesko, the visitors lose their main option up front: less depth, less pressure on defenders and less threat from long passes.
Key numbers:
In World Cup qualifying, Slovenia scored three goals in six matches.
In four of their six qualifying matches, Slovenia failed to score at all.
In their last five head-to-head meetings with Croatia, Slovenia won once, but averaged less than a goal per game.
Probable line-up (4-2-3-1): Jan Oblak - Zan Karnicnik, Jaka Bijol, Vanja Drkusic, Erik Janza - Adam Gnezda Cerin, Timi Max Elsnik - Danijel Sturm, Tomi Horvat, Adam Cerdz - Zan Vipotnik.
Absentees: Benjamin Sesko is out with a shin injury.
