Spain vs Croatia: La Roja Target Back-to-Back Nations League Wins
Spain will face Croatia in Matchday 2 of Group C in the UEFA Nations League on Wednesday, September 30, with both sides arriving on the back of victories in their opening fixtures. However, despite Croatia’s positive start under returning head coach Slaven Bilic, Spain appear to hold the stronger hand ahead of their meeting at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
Spain have maintained their momentum since winning the 2026 World Cup. La Roja opened their Nations League campaign with an impressive 3-2 victory over England at Wembley, and they will now play their first home match since lifting the world title.
Luis de la Fuente’s side will be looking to build on that result in front of their own supporters. The return to Spain also gives La Roja an opportunity to continue their strong form while displaying the two stars on their shirt following their latest World Cup triumph.
Croatia, meanwhile, have also made a winning start. Under Bilic, who has returned to the national team setup after 14 years away, Vatreni defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in their opening match. The result offered an encouraging response after Croatia were eliminated by Portugal in the last 16 of the 2026 World Cup.
Both teams, however, head into the fixture with some changes to their squads. Spain have been forced to make adjustments because of fitness concerns, with Joan Garcia, Pedro Porro and Eric Garcia unavailable. Croatia are also without Josip Juranovic and Martin Erlic, with Lovro Majer, Marin Pongracic and Kristijan Jakic among those expected to provide alternative options.
The head-to-head record gives Spain plenty of reason for confidence, particularly when playing Croatia on home soil. La Roja have previously recorded emphatic victories of 3-0 and 6-0 against Vatreni in Spain.
Croatia have nevertheless proved capable of making life difficult for their opponents. The two sides played out a 0-0 draw in the 2023 Nations League before an entertaining 3-3 draw at Euro 2020, which Spain eventually won on penalties. Croatia also defeated Spain 3-2 in the Nations League in 2018.
Recent meetings have therefore highlighted the competitive nature of this fixture, even though Spain have enjoyed some of their most convincing victories in front of their home supporters. With greater squad depth and a strong record against Croatia on home soil, La Roja appear to have the edge going into Wednesday’s encounter.
Head-to-Head: Spain vs Croatia
15/06/24 – Spain 3-0 Croatia | UEFA Euro
18/06/23 – Spain 0-0 Croatia | UEFA Nations League
28/06/21 – Spain 3-3 Croatia | UEFA Euro
15/11/18 – Croatia 3-2 Spain | UEFA Nations League
11/09/18 – Spain 6-0 Croatia | UEFA Nations League
Predicted Lineups
Spain (4-2-3-1): Simon; Pubill, Cubarsi, Laporte, Cucurella; Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Olmo, Baena; Oyarzabal
Head coach: Luis de la Fuente
Croatia (4-2-3-1): Livakovic; Stanisic, Vuskovic, Gvardiol, Perisic; Modric, Kovacic; L. Sucic, P. Sucic, Mario Pasalic; Budimir
Head coach: Slaven Bilic
Prediction
Spain’s squad depth, home advantage and recent record against Croatia make La Roja the more convincing side on paper. Croatia have enough quality to make the contest competitive, but Spain are expected to claim another three points and strengthen their position at the top of the group.
Prediction: Spain 2-1 Croatia
