Croatia to host Czechia in final Nations League Group A3 match at Opus Arena on November 15
Croatia will host Czechia at the Opus Arena in Osijek on Sunday, November 15, in the final UEFA Nations League League A Group 3 fixture, with both teams seeking a positive result after difficult campaigns. The match concludes the group stage for the pair and follows an earlier meeting between the sides in September.
Croatia have endured a challenging group stage, suffering three defeats in their opening four matches, while Czechia have lost all four of their games and sit bottom of the group. The reverse fixture between the teams finished 2-1 in favour of Vatreni in September. Slaven Bilić’s side will aim to complete a double over Czechia, who are looking to halt a run of defeats. The experienced midfielder remains an important figure in Croatia’s setup.
His ability to dictate the tempo, control possession and create opportunities will be crucial as the hosts look to dominate the midfield. Šulc offers attacking quality and movement in the final third for Czechia. His ability to find space between the opposition’s defensive and midfield lines could give Czechia an important outlet against Vatreni.
Bilić has several injury concerns ahead of the final group fixture: Josip Šutalo has been ruled out with a hamstring injury, Marin Pongračić is expected to remain sidelined until late November with a thigh problem, Kristijan Jakić is dealing with a knee-ligament injury, Franjo Ivanović has a head injury, and Luka Sučić remains doubtful with a muscle issue. Ivan Hašek, the Czech coach, has no unavailable players listed for the match. Tomáš Souček has returned to the national squad after recovering from an ankle-ligament injury that kept him out of the previous international window.
Croatia’s named XI reads: Dominik Livaković; Josip Stanišić, Niko Galešić, Luka Vušković, Joško Gvardiol; Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić; Ivan Perišić, Lovro Majer, Nikola Vlašić; Igor Matanović. Czechia’s starting lineup is listed as: Lukáš Horníček; Vladimír Coufal, Martin Vitík, Robin Hranáč, Jiří Sláma; Alex Král, Michal Sadílek; Ondřej Lingr, Lukáš Ambros, Pavel Šulc; Ryan Don Naderi. Both sides published their matchday selections ahead of kick-off.
Croatia have struggled defensively during the Nations League campaign, but home conditions and the presence of experienced midfielders Luka Modrić and Mateo Kovačić should favour Bilić’s team. Czechia have lost their last five matches and have found it difficult to keep clean sheets. Given the form and personnel available, Croatia are tipped to secure another narrow victory.
The game is scheduled for Sunday, November 15, 2026 (BST) with a kick-off at 8:45 PM CET (1:15 AM IST on November 16). Broadcasters listed include US: Fubo Sports, ViX, FOX Soccer Plus and India: SONY Sports Network, SONY LIV; for ongoing coverage Khel Now directs readers to follow its Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages or use its Android, iOS and Telegram channels for updates.