Montenegro vs Croatia – When neighbours clash!

On Monday 17th November Montenegro will play Croatia in this Group L World Cup qualifying match. Currently, Croatia sit at the top of the qualifying group table, but the Czech Repiublic are hot on their heels, so Croatia will need a win from this match if they want to progress to the next stage without having to go through the play offs process. Montenegro, on the other hand, are now out of contention but eill want to try and earn three points from this match as they are playing their close national neighbours. Read on for our Montenegro vs Croatia prediction.

Day: Monday, 17 November 2025
Time: 19:45
Stadium:
Gradski Stadion Podgorica
Tournament:
World Cup – European Qualifiers – Matchday 10

Of these two teams, Croatia are coming into this match in the strongest position, as they are currently at the top of Group L and just need a point to rubber-stamp their automatic qualification. Montenegro, on the other hand, desperately needs a win here to avoid a miserable end to their campaign, as they are currently languishing at second from bottom of the group table, with too big a gulf of points between them and the play-offs. At their last meeting, Croatia beat Montenegro 4-0, a win they will no doubt hope to replicate this time around to strengthen their chances at automatic qualification.

Montenegro – Looking to gain some points

Montenegro. Although they started well by winning their first two group matches, they have lost their last four in a row, which will no doubt have an impact on team morale. Led by coach Robert Prosinečki, their only truly convincing win came against Gibraltar, who are yet to gain a single point in qualification. While they have the home advantage this time around, it will be a tough ask for them to steal a win from Croatia, who thrashed them 4-0 at their last meeting.

Croatia – Hoping to finish top of the table

Croatia have had a highly successful start to this World Cup qualification round, scoring a total of seventeen goals across their first four matches and winning every single one. They are the strongest team in their group and have no trouble proving their dominance whether at home or away. The last time they played Montenegro, they won 4-0, and prior to that they beat the Faroe Islands, Czech Republic and Gibraltar twice 1-0, 5-1, 3-0 and 7-0, respectively. The only team to stop them winning was the Czechs, who held them to a 0–0 draw. No doubt Croatia will be hoping for a convincing win in this match to cement their place at the top of Group L and in the next stage of the competition, and that is why our Montenegro vs Croatia prediction is for plenty of goals.

Montenegro vs Croatia – Possible lineups

In terms of line ups, Montenegro have currently lost Adam Marusic to injury, but their lineup otherwise remains unchanged and coach Robert Prosinečki will likely stick with the previous 3-4-2-1 formation.

Croatia are likely to field the same team they did at their highly successful last meeting with Montenegro.

Montenegro possible XI:

GK: Livakovic

DEF:  Jakic, Sutalo, Caleta-Car, Stanisic

MID: Modric, Sucic

ATT: Pesalic, Kramaic, Perisic

ST: Ivanovic

Croatia possible XI:

GK: Petkovic

DEF: Sipcic, Savic, Vujacic

MID: Camaj, Brnovic, Bulatovic, Rognavic

ATT: Jovetic, Vukotic

ST: Krstovic

Where to watch Montenegro vs Croatia

Text commentary for World Cup qualifying matches is available on ESPN’s website. The Montenegro vs Croatia game is available to watch on television or online in several locations including:

• RTVE PLAY
• UEFA.tv
• Prime Video UK

Prediction Montenegro vs Croatia

When it comes to our Montenegro vs Croatia prediction, I think we can confidently predict a Croatia win here. This is supported by their previous 4-0 victory at their last meeting with Montenegro, and their current strong position in the Group L table. Whilst this is a pretty safe bet, no doubt the bookies will be thinking exactly the same thing, so it is unlikely that punters will be able to achieve particularly attractive odds on this selection.

Therefore, it might be better to go for a more profitable selection such as over 2.5 goals. This means that any attempt that Montenegro makes to gain points will only help your bet to be successful and will also safeguard against a surprise upset from Robert Prosinečki’s team. More daring bettors might even back an over 3.5 goals selection, as Croatia’s World Cup qualification bid thus far has seen them score at least four goals in every match bar two. With a host of attacking players displaying their goal scoring abilities.

The odds on over 2.5 goals are likely to be between 1.65 and 1.90