Malta v Croatia background
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Article summary
Malta are without a win in 23 competitive home games as they welcome Croatia, who have failed to score in their last two away fixtures but now need a win.
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Article body
Malta will hope to end a long wait for a competitive home win as they welcome Croatia to Ta' Qali for their final UEFA EURO 2016 Group H home fixture with the visitors in urgent need of a victory themselves.
• Croatia, in third position and assured of at least a play-off place, are two points behind second-placed Norway but hold the edge on head-to-head record. To claim automatic qualification, they need to win in Malta and hope Norway fail to take three points from their trip to Group H leaders Italy in Rome.
• Malta have taken two points from their first nine fixtures and will finish bottom even if they beat Croatia.
Previous meetings
• Luka Modrić scored on his 29th birthday and substitute Andrej Kramarić added a second as Croatia beat Malta 2-0 in the sides' Group H encounter in Zagreb in September 2014.
• Malta's record in seven senior internationals against Croatia is W0 D1 L6 (W0 D1 L2 in Malta). That lone draw was a 1-1 home stalemate in 2006 FIFA World Cup qualifying, Stephen Wellman's second-half free-kick cancelling out Niko Kranjčar's 19th-minute opener.
Form guide
• Malta are without a victory in 23 competitive home matches (D4 L19) since a 2-1 success against Hungary in a EURO qualifier on 11 October 2006.
• Croatia have won only one of their four Group H away fixtures (W1 D2 L1), and have failed to score in their last two away games in the section.
Disciplinary
• The latest booking list is available here: http://www.uefa.org/disciplinary/disciplinary-cases/booking-lists/index.html.
Trivia and links
• Malta reserve goalkeeper Henry Bonello turns 27 on 13 October, the day of Croatia's visit.
• Croatia have taken on Malta in eight youth and age-group matches at international level in UEFA competition: all eight ended in Croatian victories, with no goals conceded.
• Sides from these countries have met in 16 UEFA competition games, with the Croatian clubs' record reading W13 D2 L1 (W7 D1 L0 at home – W6 D1 L1 in Malta). That sole defeat was NK Slaven Koprivnica's 2-1 loss at Hibernians FC in a 2004 UEFA Intertoto Cup first-round tie; Slaven won the return fixture 3-0.
