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Croatia and Belgium ramp up their World Cup preparations this Tuesday night with a tasty international friendly in Rijeka.
Having finished on the podium in their previous two World Cup campaigns, the Croats will be looking to deliver yet another thrilling run in North America.
Belgium, on the other hand, have never quite made the most of their golden generation, though the Red Devils will be hoping to enter this summer’s tournament with serious momentum.
Read our prediction, preview and betting tips for the game below, and make sure to check out our today's betting tips page for more of our expert predictions.
Croatia vs. Belgium key stats
- Belgium have scored 38 goals across their last 11 matches.
- Croatia are winless in four previous meetings with Belgium.
- The Red Devils have not tasted defeat since March 2025.
Croatia vs. Belgium preview: International powerhouses battle for World Cup momentum
Croatia vs Belgium — Squad Comparison
| Croatia | vs | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | FIFA Ranking | 9 |
| Luka Modric – 196 | Most Caps | Axel Witsel – 136 |
| Ivan Perisic – 38 | Most Goals | Romelu Lukaku – 89 |
| 1,121 | Total Caps | 1,047 |
| 151 | Total Goals | 207 |
| 1 | Uncapped Players | 2 |
Despite their small population, Croatia have spent the last eight years at the very top of international football, claiming a couple of World Cup medals as well as a silver in the UEFA Nations League.
Zlatko Dalic has been at the helm during Croatia’s sensational run, though the manager is still determined to turn all those medals into a trophy.
Boasting one of the oldest squads in the tournament, the Croats will not be short of experience heading to North America, but there is a feeling that this could be the final shot at glory for the national side before a turnover in talent.
Croatia qualified for the World Cup with relative ease, winning seven of their eight games and going through the entire campaign without a single defeat.
The Vatreni had serious momentum on the back of that qualifying run, but a 3-1 defeat to Brazil in last April’s friendly outing did knock them down a peg.
Croatia will now be looking for a return to winning ways as they prepare to share their World Cup group with England, Ghana and Panama, but they are coming into the friendly with an injured Andrej Kramaric, who is one of the elder statesmen of the squad.
Speaking of veterans, Belgium manager Rusi Garcia has named a squad that includes Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois.
All three men have endured injury problems this season, and they may only get limited minutes in this friendly against Croatia.
Leandro Trossard, on the other hand, was involved in the Champions League final last Saturday, and he may be given a few additional days to recover.
Taking a full-strength side to North America will be Garcia’s priority, with the manager looking to squeeze the last bit of juice out of Belgium’s golden generation.
One World Cup bronze medal and two European Championship quarter-finals are all that the Red Devils have to show for their efforts over the years – an underwhelming run for a group of players that had high expectations.
There are, however, positive signs ahead of this latest World Cup quest.
Belgium, for instance, are in the midst of an 11-match unbeaten run, which includes 38 goals scored across a number of high-scoring victories.
Garcia’s men have scored 13 goals across their last three matches alone, which includes their 7-0 demolition of Liechtenstein and their 5-2 thumping of the United States.
Next step for Belgium will be to extend their unbeaten run against Croatia to five successive games.
Croatia vs. Belgium form guide & betting tips
| Croatia | vs | Belgium |
|---|---|---|
WWWWL |
Form | WDWWD |
| 12 | Goals For | 18 |
| 7 | Goals Against | 6 |
WWWWL |
Form (All Comps) | WDWWD |
Whispers predicts: Croatia 2-2 Belgium
With the World Cup just around the corner, this is expected to be a great test between two nations that could go far in this summer’s tournament.
Three of the last four head-to-head meetings have seen under 2.5 goals, but we are expecting that to change given the high volume of goals both nations have scored in recent months.
Over 2.5 goals is well priced at 4/5 odds with most bookmakers, and that is our opening recommendation.
Another smart play is both teams to score at around 3/5. This bet has landed in Croatia’s previous four outings, and four of Belgium’s previous five.
If you are looking for more value, you could always try the correct score market, with the bookies offering 12/1 odds on a 2-2 draw.
> Over 2.5 goals at 4/5 | Likelihood: Probable
> Both teams to score at 3/5 | Likelihood: Probable
> Correct score Croatia 2-2 Belgium at 12/1 | Likelihood: Outsider