Croatia is currently three points short of placing 13th out of a possible 15 major competitions since independence. However, with a draw against Turkey, they can secure their place in the Euros. But the outcome of their match against Armenia is also important as it could determine the path of Zlatko Dalić’s chosen team to a great result.
There are still three unknowns before the draw for additional qualifications on Thursday, and their performance in the qualifications could impact the strong group of “fiery”. Uefa ranks national teams according to their performance in the qualifications, and if the qualifications were to end today, Croatia would be in the third strong group, which includes Scotland and Slovakia, among others.
If Croatia wins against Armenia, they will stay in the third round and have a favorable draw. But if they lose or go to the Euros (meaning Wales didn’t win), they risk ending up in the fourth round and having a more difficult draw. On the other hand, Serbia could fall into the last round if at least two out of three scenarios happen: Slovenia wins over Kazakhstan, Czech Republic wins over Moldova and Croatia wins over Armenia. Indirectly, therefore, Croatia can push their neighbors towards a more difficult draw.
Twelve national teams will fight for the remaining three places in the draw through three mini-tournaments at
