The Matchday 3 World Cup 2026 qualifier between Gibraltar and Croatia will take place on June 6 at the Algarve Stadium in Faro-Loulé, Portugal. Gibraltar vs. Croatia: prediction and betting odds, statistics.
Gibraltar
The team, as expected, lost their previous two matches, facing Montenegro (1-3) and the Czech Republic (0-4). Gibraltar has yet to earn any points in the World Cup qualifiers, having lost 22 consecutive matches. In Group L standings, they sit at the bottom, and among all participants, only Moldova has conceded more goals (8).
- The team has conceded at least three goals in 16 consecutive World Cup qualifying matches.
- In their last 8 home games in this tournament, Gibraltar has scored only one goal.
- The team has conceded first in 20 out of 22 World Cup qualifying matches.
Predicted lineup for Gibraltar (4-5-1)
Bradley Banda – Bernardo Lopes, Ethan Britto, Louie Annesley, Kian Ronan – Ayoub El Hmidi, Dan Bent, Carlos Richards, James Scanlon, Liam Walker – Tjay De Barr.
Croatia
Zlatko Dalic's side missed previous rounds due to participation in the Nations League. They exchanged victories with France in regular time, both with a score of 2-0, but lost to them in a penalty shootout. In the previous World Cup qualifying cycle, the team performed well, remaining unbeaten in 9 out of 10 matches (7 wins, 2 draws) and ultimately finishing first in their group. Notably, Croatia kept a clean sheet in 7 matches during this period.
- At least one opponent failed to score in 9 out of Croatia's last 10 World Cup qualifying matches.
- In 10 of their last 14 away games in this tournament, the team did not score more than one goal.
- The team has not conceded more than one goal in their last 12 away World Cup qualifying matches.
Predicted lineup for Croatia (4-5-1)
Dominik Livakovic – Josko Gvardiol, Josip Stanisic, Duje Caleta-Car, Josip Sutalo – Luka Modric, Luka Sucic, Martin Baturina, Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric – Ante Budimir.
Midfielder Nikola Vlasic and defender Borna Sosa are unavailable due to injuries. Mateo Kovacic and Toni Fruk were injured during the team's training camp.
Referee
Georgi Kabakov (Bulgaria)
Matches – 11 (International matches, 2024/25);
Yellow cards shown (including second yellows) – 55;
Average yellow cards per match – 5;
Red cards shown – 0;
Average fouls per match – 19;
Penalties – 0%.
Gibraltar vs. Croatia: Match Prediction
There should be no doubt about the outcome of this match. Gibraltar is unlikely to challenge any opponent. However, the team has recently managed to avoid losing by embarrassing margins, showing some minor improvements.
Gibraltar has lost by more than five goals in only two of their last nine World Cup qualifying matches, both of which were away games. At home, they have lost by 2-4 goals in 5 out of their last 6 matches in this tournament.
While Croatia has performed well on the road, remaining unbeaten in 6 out of their last 7 World Cup qualifying matches (4 wins, 2 draws), they have only managed to thrash Cyprus (3-0) and Malta (7-1) during this period. Moreover, they have won with a goal difference of at least five only twice in their entire World Cup qualifying history.
My prediction: Gibraltar with a handicap (+4.5)
