Croatia vs France Nations League preview: where to watch, team news
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Article summary
Croatia face France in UEFA Nations League Group A3 – all you need to know.
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Croatia take on France in UEFA Nations League Group A3 in Zagreb on Wednesday 14 October at 20:45 CET.
Where to watch the game on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Nations League broadcast partner(s) here
As they stand
• Croatia claimed their first League A Group 3 points on Sunday with a 2-1 win over Sweden and are third in the section, four points shy of their visitors.
• France missed a chance to pull three points clear at the top of the section when they were held to a 0-0 home draw by Portugal on Sunday. Both those pace-setting sides now have seven points.
Previous meetings
• France’s 4-2 win against Croatia in Group A3 in September means they remain unbeaten in seven meetings with their opponents: W5 D2.
• The scoreline in Saint-Denis was a significant one: Les Bleus had prevailed 4-2 against Croatia in the most recent encounter, the 2018 FIFA World Cup final at the Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow.
What the coaches say
Zlatko Dalić, Croatia coach: "The world champions are coming to visit us; the best team in the world, but we want to win even though this is going to be the hardest match of this campaign. We must not make mistakes because the French punish every mistake. We have to be more responsible than against Sweden with more discipline. But there is no fear. Why would there be? We are at home. We are a little tired, but so are they. Let's enjoy it."
Didier Deschamps, France coach: “We can always do better. With the quality of the opposition we were facing [against Portugal on Sunday] we took precautions. It was more difficult for the attackers in this match and we needed to do better in the final third to win. Over the past three months, we have done things differently, tried new combinations to find answers before switching to the EURO preparation."
Next up
14/11: Sweden vs Croatia
14/11: Portugal vs France