The last time Brazil and Croatia shared a pitch, the world watched in disbelief. Qatar, 2022: a quarter-final, a shootout, and a seismic shock as Vatreni held their nerve and sent the five-time world champions home.
Now they meet again, this time in the more forgiving setting of a midweek friendly – but for Brazil, very little about this feels friendly at all.
Brazil under scrutiny after France setback
Brazil arrive bruised. Their latest outing, a defeat to France, has deepened the sense of unease around a side still searching for its stride before the summer’s major business.
Gleison Bremer’s late goal for Brazil offered a flicker of resistance, but by then Kylian Mbappé and Hugo Ekitike had already done the damage. The scoreline hurt. The pattern hurt more.
This is a team used to dictating tournaments, not stumbling towards them. Two wins from their last six games is a poor return for a squad of this quality, and every misstep sharpens the questions around how quickly they can rediscover their edge.
The expectation, as ever with Brazil, is unforgiving. They are judged not just on results, but on authority, on rhythm, on the sense that they can bend a game to their will. Right now, that aura is flickering.
Croatia keep grinding towards another deep run
Croatia, by contrast, move with a familiar, quiet menace. They do not dazzle; they endure. They were at it again against Colombia, turning a nightmare start into another comeback win.
Jhon Arias struck inside two minutes, but Zlatko Dalic’s side did what they do best: stayed in the game, then slowly turned it. Luka Vuskovic and Igor Matanovic found the net to seal a 2-1 victory and extend the narrative that Croatia, at major tournaments, always seem to find a way.
There is disruption, but nothing to derail them. Backup goalkeeper Dominik Kotarski has been lost to injury, yet the rest of Dalic’s squad is in good health. Andrej Kramaric, thriving with Bundesliga high-flyers Hoffenheim, is expected to return to the XI and could well replace Nikola Vlasic.
This is not a Croatia side in transition. It is a Croatia side topping up its habits, sharpening the tools it trusts.
Old wounds, new stakes
Strip away the word “friendly” and the subtext is clear. Brazil owe Croatia one.
The memory of that World Cup exit lingers. Croatia’s discipline, their refusal to yield, their coolness in the shootout – it all cut deep into Brazilian self-image. Even in a non-competitive fixture, that history hangs over the contest.
For Brazil, this is about more than revenge. It is about proof. Proof that the recent run is a stumble, not a slide. Proof that they can impose themselves on a clever, resilient European opponent, not just overwhelm weaker sides.
For Croatia, it is another chance to measure themselves against elite opposition and reinforce a simple message: underestimate us again at your peril.
Prediction
On paper, Brazil still possess the greater firepower and should have enough to break through a Croatia side that typically prefers control to chaos. With the pressure mounting and the World Cup looming, a statement performance is needed.
The expectation: Brazil 3–0 Croatia.
A scoreline that would not erase Qatar – nothing will – but one that might just steady a giant before the next storm.
