On September 4, the match of the fifth round of the 2022 World Cup qualifying cycle will take place, in which the Slovak national team will play the Croatian national team at home. The forecast for this match is given by a well-known journalist and football scout Artur Petrosyan.
Among all four Slavic teams in Group H, we can say that the Slovak national team has the lowest level. Although at the last Euro 2020, the Slovaks managed to unexpectedly beat the Poles in the first round, having spent most of the time in their own half of the field. But in the next two matches, with the Swedes and the Spaniards, the Slovaks did not strike a single shot on goal. It's a shame that the Russians lost to this particular team in the spring.
As for the Croats, three days earlier they probably played only 50% of their capabilities at Luzhniki . The team practically did not strain, did not accelerate, adding only rare episodes. Zlatko Dalic used such a phrase as "heavy legs" after the match, although it is unclear where they come from at the beginning of the season. It turns out that the "checkers" simply cannot play at the limit of their capabilities.
Artur Petrosyan has no doubt that the Slovaks will give the ball to the Croats from the first minutes, and will count on their favorite counterattacks. The guests here, for sure, should play more aggressively, as they should be angry with themselves for an unattractive match in Moscow. The expert suggests betting on the Croats not playing with a total of less than four goals. By the way, this is exactly the option Petrosyan advised at the Russia – Croatia match, and then his forecast turned out to be correct.
