Croatia vs Moldova Predictions and Betting Tips – International Friendly

Croatia v Moldova betting tips and predictions for this week’s International friendly fixture as Croatia step up their Euro 2016 preparation.

 

Among the flurry of friendlies on Friday is Croatia hosting Moldova, as the home side ramp up their preparations for Euro 2016. We’ve got the best bets for the match which kicks off at 19:30.

 

Croatia vs Moldova Overview

 

Croatia

Ante Cacic was appointed manager of the Croatian national team on the 22nd September 2015 and is yet to taste defeat. Coming off the back of just two points from three qualifiers, Cacic oversaw a 3-0 victory over Bulgaria before winning three of his next four matches in charge. There has been some tweaking with the formations though and it is generally seen as concerning that he still doesn’t know his most effective tactics. 3-5-2 and 4-1-4-1 have both been used lately. They haven’t got the easiest group in European Championships with Spain leading the way and both Turkey and Czech Republic proving decent teams lately.

 

In Mario Mandzukic though, they have a proven goalscorer and Ivan Perisic is a hugely useful asset to any side. The slightly lesser known Marcelo Brozovic has proved a useful utility man in recent months, but they’ll be hoping Cacic finds a regular position for him throughout the tournament.

 

However, they are bereft of several big names here. First of all, Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic have the small matter of the Champions League final to compete in and will join at a later date. Ivan Rakitic, Darijo Srna and the aforementioned Mandzukic will all join for the friendly against San Marino at the start of June.

 

Euro 2016 will be Srna’s last tournament for his country, but the 31-year-old believes they have the best Croatian team in history.

 

The biggest news to come out of the Croatia camp in recent weeks is the omission of Dejan Lovren. The Liverpool defender was involved in a dispute with the coach during the recent 1-1 draw in Hungary. He stopped warming up once he realised he wouldn’t be featuring. Cacic accused him of looking down on the rest of the squad and not being a ‘team player’. He says the door is still open to Lovren in the future, but he will not be taking part in this warm-up match or in any of their Group D matches.

 

Moldova

Moldova wrapped up their first victory since May 2014 when they beat Andorra by a single goal at the back end of March. Admittedly, International matches do not occur regularly, but they’ve scored just nine goals in two years and some of those strikes came against Canada, Liechtenstein and Kazakhstan. They did manage a goal on both meetings with Russia however.

 

They are led by Igor Dobrovolski and whilst lacking in star names, Alexandru Gatcan has had a season to remember in the Russian Premier League with FK Rostov, who just fell short of winning the title.

 

Croatia vs Moldova Predictions

 

Even without star names appearing in this first fixture, Croatia can easily get the job done. Odds of 1/7 suggest that to be the case. You can get a more palatable price on the handicap market. Moldova don’t offer much going forward, but they rarely get beaten heavily. You have to go back to September 2013 for the last time they shipped more than two goals away from home (against England). Austria and Sweden only beat them by a small margin and without big names, I can’t see Croatia hitting three or four here. My first Croatia v Moldova betting tip is for Under 2.5 goals. It can be backed at 13/10 with Coral.

 

It might take a while for Croatia to break down their opponents here. They are far too short on the HT/FT market, so it might be worthwhile putting a small wager on Draw/Croatia. The visitors have been level at HT in eight of their last 12 away matches. My second Croatia v Moldova prediction is for Draw/Croatia. It can be backed at 3/1 with Paddy Power.

 

And finally, I’ll opt for a correct score tip. Croatia should win this, but the line-up will be more experimental than previous outings and without the assurance of Luka Modric in the centre of the park, they are unlikely to run away with this one. My third prediction for Croatia v Moldova is for Croatia to win 2-0. It can be backed 24/5 with 888Sport.

 

Croatia v Moldova Betting Tips

Under 2.5 Goals – 13/10 Coral | REGISTER AT CORAL > get a £20 free bet.

Draw/Croatia – 3/1 Paddy Power | REGISTER AT PADDY POWER > get a £30 free bet.

Croatia to win 2-0 – 24/5 888Sport | REGISTER AT 888SPORT > get treble odds for your first bet.

 

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Jack Critchley

Jack Critchley

Jack is the resident Football League predictions writer here at thatsagoal.com, his expertise of the lower leagues brings regular winning football tips.
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