UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2020_qualifying The UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying tournament is an upcoming football competition that will be played from March 2019 to March 2020 to determine the 24 UEFA member men's national teams that will advance to the UEFA Euro 2020 final tournament.[1][2][3] The competition will be linked with the 2018–19 editionof the UEFA Nations League, giving countries a secondary route to qualify for the final tournament. For the first time since 1976, no team will automatically qualify for the UEFA European Championship as the host country.[4] 55 national teams will participate in the qualifying process, with Kosovo taking part for the first time. Croatia is in the Pot 1. The bad thing is: Germany Pot 2. The easiest team from Pot 2 is: Bosnia and Herzegovina. The only team without EURO experience from that Pot. It would be terrible to get Germany. Ukraine and Russia might be complicated in away matches. Best option for Croatia, Pot 2: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic. Pot 3 seems much easier. It would be great to get: Northern Ireland, Slovakia, Finland. Pot 4 seems even more easier. Lithuania and Estonia seem as acceptable. Pot 5: Gibraltar, Faroe Islands. Pot 6: San Marino, close in geographical sense, friendly people. Croatia and San Marino share Saint Marinus. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saint_Marinus Malta can be complicated, they are fighters. The most difficult group would be: Croatia, Germany, Turkey, Romania, Azerbaijan, Latvia.
Estonia seem acceptable? I belive Croatia have definitely struggled in Tallinn recently. I believe during the last 3 times when you visited us Croatia managed to score just 1(!) goal ...
Croatia and Estonia often play friendly matches, obviously good relations among federations. I mean on competitive and official matches. But Pjaca was injured over there. 3-0 for Eesti.
Group E of UEFA Euro 2020 qualifying is one of the ten groups to decide which teams will qualify for the UEFA Euro 2020 finals tournament.[1] Group E consists of five teams: Azerbaijan, Croatia, Hungary, Slovakia and Wales,[2] where they will play against each other home-and-away in a round-robin format.[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2020_qualifying_Group_E Slovakia played 13 matches against Croatia: 2 victories, 3 draws, 8 defeats, goal difference: 17-33. This can't be hard? Wales might be unpleasant with Gareth Bale, Ramsey and few others from leicester City, Bournemouth.
The Wales national football team (Welsh: Tîm pêl-droed cenedlaethol Cymru) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales_national_football_team Key players: David Brooks, Andy King, Aaron Ramsey, Rabbi Matondo, Gareth Bale, Sam Vokes, Ben Davies, Regan Poole, Ethan Ampadu, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales_national_football_team_records_and_statistics Croatia 4 0 1 3 2 7 These players play in nice clubs.
Slovakia and Hungary seem as the biggest opponents now. Strange defeat against Hungary. Can't name 2-3 decent Hungarian players of this generation. Not a single player who plays in England, Spain, Italy, France on some high level. Two players of Leipzig, one player of Bolognja and Hoffenheim. That's all. Few players of Croatian origins: Lovrencsics and maybe Pavkovics. They also have Vida in their team. But I think that Croatian Domagoj Vida has Hungarian origins. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hungary_national_football_team Slovakia - I don't know much about Slovakian football or their league. I know Hamsik, Skriniar. Hamsik is in China now, much weaker level than Serie A. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovakia_national_football_team It would be silly to be happy with one point in Slovakia. Croatian defensive line is terrible, same as the goalkeeper. Domagoj Vida scored own goal against Wales. Always inconsistent. Duje Caleta Car refused U21 NT invitation. He seems unhappy with his substitute status, especially if he sees that he could improve the defence. He is better than Vida, Jedvaj, Barisic, Skoric, Bartolec, Melnjak. Melnjak is a cousin of Marko Rog, pure evidence of nepotism. Of course, that Caleta is unhappy, especially if he supports Hajduk Split. And entire team must be from Dinamo Zagreb or their satellites Osijek, Rijeka, Lokomotiva, Slaven Belupo, Gorica. Ivan Rakitic said that he is tired, so he avoided the match against Wales, he never came to support his co-players. The atmosphere is not so good. It's obvious now that coaches Zlatko Dalic and Nenad Bjelica are just puppets of the real coach who dictates them and they pretend that they are independent so that people visit stadiums. And people thought that they are the coaches and that brothers left everything and left abroad, people are so naive and they fall on romantic empty words in Croatia. "We play for the fans, patriotism". Only money, nothing else. I was right all the time. Next match...Slovakia.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2020_qualifying https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_Euro_2020_qualifying_Group_E 6 September 2019, 20:45 Slovakia v Croatia Report Anton Malatinský Stadium, Trnava Referee: Felix Brych (Germany) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slovakia_national_football_team They played 13 times against each other, Slovakia has 2 victories, 3 draws and 8 defeats. Their goalkeepers seem unknown. Defenders play in good clubs: Pekarik (Hertha Berlin), Skriniar (Internazionale), Denis Vavro (SS Lazio). They have advantage here, since Croatia doesn't have Vrsaljko, Caleta - Car, Filip Benkovic. Dejan Lovren doesn't play often for Liverpool and Domagoj Vida never had some major quality, otherwise he would be in better league. Central players, hmm. They have Hamsik, who is in China, out of shape for sure. Lets say that they have solid player Kucka (Parma) and maybe Duda (Hertha Berlin). Benes and Lobotka play in solid clubs Celta Vigo and Monchengladbach. Robert Mak plays in Zenit. All of them seem mostly unknown to me. Croatia should have more advantage here with Modric, Brozovic, Badelj and Pasalic. Vlasic, Caktas, Rog are not good. Rakitic refused his invitation, it's a second time that he refuses?? Strange team spirit inside. Attackers of Slovakia, they will use only 3 players: Duris, Safranko and Bozenik. They are also unknown to me. Croatia should have advantage just with Perisic and Brekalo. I doubt that Petkovic and Orsic have national team quality, they would be outside of Dinamo Zagreb in some better club and league. Rebic could provide some raw strength among their defenders and create 1-2 chances. Not sure can he aim and score. Anyway, good chance for victory. Clear advantage in central and attacking positions.
At the end, easy match for Croatia. Only media created some powerful strength of Slovakia so that people could think about the equal strength with dramatic ending. Hamsik was obviously out of shape, thanks to his Chinese campaign. Defender Skriniar is an average player. New easy match is against Azerbaijan. Maybe Bruno Petkovic and Nikola Vlasic have more quality than I expected. Hard to say, because Slovakia isn't strong.