Israel still cannot get to any serious tournament. Every time the team lacks something in the qualification. So the beginning of the current qualifying cycle gives rise to certain hopes and expectations. In a group with four teams of approximately equal class, Israel has a chance to catch at least 2nd place. Last official matches for the team were the League of Nations games. The latter turned out to be successful, because the Scots were minimally beaten. True, in their quartet, the Israelis took only the third line. In general, Bibras Nato and Manor Solomon have room to grow.
The Croatian national team is in 11th place in the FIFA rankings. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, the team took second place, which was an incredible success. It is no coincidence that the Croatian national team is called the main favorite in the dispute for the first place in Group H. Although, of course, the Russians do not agree with this statement. In terms of composition, the Croats look powerful. The midfield line is especially impressive: Modric, Kovacic, Vlasic, Pashalic. In the attack there is a productive Kramarich. And in defense are Vida, Lovren, Vrsalko. In general, Croats have no obvious weaknesses. The emphasis is on the center of the field, where main forces are concentrated. It is the center of the field that controls the game and Luka Modric is in fantastic shape right now. Largely thanks to him, Real Madrid made it to the Champions League quarterfinals. There are great expectations from the Croats. The team is promised leadership in the group, but this status still needs to be earned. This is the first round where it is extremely important to state your intentions.
