Russia – Croatia

Russia and Croatia return to action on Wednesday when they go head-to-head at the Luzhniki Stadium. Russia suffered a disappointing group-stage exit from Euro 2020 after picking up three points from nine games. They return to the World Cup qualifiers, where they have been in solid form. They have picked up six points from their first three games, beating Slovenia and Malta.

Meanwhile, Croatia made it into the last 16 of the European Championship, where they lost on penalties to Spain after putting up a valiant fight. Similarly, they have picked up six points from their three World Cup qualifiers, while scoring four goals and conceding one.

This will be the fifth meeting between the two sides. Croatia have been the slightly better side in the history of this fixture, claiming one win and three draws from their previous four encounters. Russia are yet to taste victory against the visitors. We predict this trend will continue with the two sides settling for a share of the spoils.