Match Preview

The home side are under pressure to perform, ahead of our Croatia vs Finland preview and free soccer predictions, despite sitting at the top of the Group I pile. Iceland, Turkey and Ukraine all have the potential to leapfrog them.

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Croatia have relied on their home form to keep them in the running to qualify for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, but the fact that they have dropped so many points away could come back to bite them.

Our Croatia vs Finland predictions are based off the fact that Finland are out of the running for a place at the tournament, which means that there is limited motivation for them before assessing the UEFA World Cup Qualification Group I odds.

The hosts are strong within their own borders and have relied on their form at home to get them to this stage of their qualification campaign without having any ground to make up. They will be aware that one slip could prove very costly.

Croatia vs Finland Prediction and Betting Advice

Croatia have kept three consecutive sheets at home in qualification, with Iceland, Ukraine and Kosovo all failing to find the back of the net upon their away visits. Ante Kacic’s men last lost at home in European World Cup Qualifying back in 2013 against Belgium.

But for Turkey taking home a point for themselves back in September of last year, Croatia have kept things consistent. Defensively, their record has been excellent on their own patch, with it being their own away travels that have been the root of the issue.

Coral offer the best value in the market of Croatia winning without conceding a goal, which is especially tempting against a Finland side that have lost four out of their last five away games in the lead-up to the World Cup in Russia. With three points a necessity for the hosts, they could not have hoped to have played a more suitable adversary.

Finland have only scored two goals or more on the road in a World Cup qualifier once since 2009. They managed two versus Iceland last year, but otherwise, the away side are quite goal shy on their travels, influencing our Croatia vs Finland bets.

Unibet are offering some of the best value in this regard, as Finland are unlikely to contribute to a high-scoring affair. Throw in the fact that Croatia have not scored more than two goals at home in the European qualification process since 2008 and this has the makings of a comfortable home win without too much in the way of entertainment or drama.

Our Croatia vs Finland picks reflect the fact that the home team like to keep things tight defensively on their own patch, as well as the offensive frailties of the visitors. Low-scoring should be the description of this particular affair, with Croatia securing a much-needed three points in a tight battle for top spot in Group I.