UEFA Nations League,
League A – 4
Croatia
CRO
Spain
ESP
-
Venue
- Stadion Poljud
-
Referee
- Erik Lambrechts
Preview for Croatia v Spain
Croatia will attempt to recover from a record-breaking defeat when they welcome world champions Spain to Split in the UEFA Nations League on Tuesday night.
Slaven Bilic’s side were thrashed 7-0 by England on Saturday, while Spain maintained their perfect start to League A Group 3 with a 3-1 win over the Czech Republic.
Croatia could hardly have endured a more damaging evening when they welcomed England on Saturday.
It was the heaviest defeat in Croatia’s history and the first time the national team had ever conceded five or more goals in a home match.
Croatia had begun the campaign positively with a 2-1 victory away against the Czech Republic, but successive defeats have left them third in Group 3 on three points.
They are three points behind second-placed England and six adrift of Spain, while the Czech Republic remain bottom without a point.
Spain could scarcely be in better form.
Luis de la Fuente’s team have won each of their opening three Nations League matches, beginning with a 3-2 victory over England at Wembley before dismantling Croatia 4-1.
La Roja then made it three wins from three by beating the Czech Republic 3-1 in Oviedo on Saturday.
Spain have now won 10 consecutive matches across all competitions and are unbeaten in their last 41 games.
De la Fuente’s side are also unbeaten in 16 successive Nations League matches when penalty shootouts are excluded, representing the longest such sequence since the competition was introduced.
The UEFA Nations League Table
UEFA Nations League 2026
World
League A – Group C
| # | Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Last 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Spain |
3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 9 |
W
W
W
|
| 2 |
England |
3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
W
W
L
|
| 3 |
Croatia |
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 | -9 | 3 |
L
L
W
|
| 4 |
Czechia |
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 |
L
L
L
|
- Position 1, 2 : Play Offs: Quarter-finals
- Position 3 : Relegation Playoffs
- Position 4 : Relegation
Team News for Croatia v Spain
Croatia did at least emerge from the defeat to England without any significant new injury problems.
However, Bilic has several selection decisions to make following the nature of Saturday’s performance.
Luka Vuskovic, Marco Pasalic, Josip Misic, Petar Sucic and Martin Pongracic are all at risk of suspension if they receive another booking.
Pongracic was not included in the matchday squad against England, while Lovro Majer, Ante Budimir and Dion Drena Beljo were also omitted.
Spain have no fresh concerns surrounding Yamal or Alex Baena after both were replaced at half-time against the Czech Republic, with the changes made for tactical reasons rather than because of injury.
Pau Cubarsi was rested completely on Saturday but should be available to return to the defence in Split.
De la Fuente is already without Ferran Torres, Nico Williams and Alex Grimaldo after the trio withdrew from the squad.
Expected line-ups for Croatia v Spain
Croatia: Livakovic; Smolcic, Sutalo, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Modric, Kovacic; Ivanovic, M. Pasalic, Vlasic; Matanovic.
Spain: Simon; Fresneda, Cubarsi, Huijsen, Cucurella; Lopez, Zubimendi, Pedri; Yamal, Oyarzabal, Munoz.
ℹ️ Official lineups are not available yet. They are usually announced 20–40 minutes before kickoff, depending on the competition.
Recent Form & Stats for Croatia v Spain
- Croatia suffered the heaviest defeat in their history when they lost 7-0 to England on Saturday.
- Bilic’s side have conceded 11 goals across their last two Nations League matches.
- Croatia have shipped 12 goals in their opening three games in the competition this season.
- Spain have won all three of their Nations League matches, scoring 10 goals.
- La Roja have won 10 consecutive matches across all competitions.
- Spain are unbeaten in their last 41 matches across all competitions.
- De la Fuente’s side are unbeaten in 16 successive Nations League games, excluding penalty shootouts.
- Spain have won their last four meetings with Croatia, including a 4-1 victory on September 29.
Recent Results : Croatia
-
UEFA Nations League
Croatia
CRO
L 0 – 7 2026-10-03
England
ENG
-
UEFA Nations League
Spain
ESP
L 4 – 1 2026-09-29
Croatia
CRO
-
UEFA Nations League
Czechia
CZE
W 1 – 2 2026-09-26
Croatia
CRO
-
World Cup
Portugal
POR
L 2 – 1 2026-07-03
Croatia
CRO
-
World Cup
Croatia
CRO
W 2 – 1 2026-06-27
Ghana
GHA
Recent Results : Spain
-
UEFA Nations League
Spain
ESP
W 3 – 1 2026-10-03
Czechia
CZE
-
UEFA Nations League
Spain
ESP
W 4 – 1 2026-09-29
Croatia
CRO
-
UEFA Nations League
England
ENG
W 2 – 3 2026-09-26
Spain
ESP
-
World Cup
France
FRA
W 0 – 2 2026-07-14
Spain
ESP
-
World Cup
Spain
ESP
W 2 – 1 2026-07-10
Belgium
BEL
Where to Watch Croatia v Spain: TV and online streams
Croatia v Spain kicks off at 7:45pm BST on Tuesday, October 6 at the Stadion Poljud in Split. The match will be available to watch live in the UK through Amazon Prime Video on a pay-per-view basis.
Prediction for Croatia v Spain
The last thing Croatia would have wanted after conceding seven goals against England is a meeting with a Spain side currently scoring freely against almost everyone they face.
Bilic should demand a far more disciplined performance after Saturday’s humiliation, and Croatia are unlikely to leave themselves quite as exposed as they did against the Three Lions.
Even so, their defensive problems are impossible to overlook. Spain scored four times in the reverse fixture and have now reached 10 goals after only three Nations League matches.
Match Prediction
Croatia
Spain
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