Montenegro and Croatia will draw the curtain on their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers when they face off at the Podgorica City Stadium on Monday.
Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia enter the group finale unbeaten in the qualifiers and will be looking to close out the campaign with their impressive record intact. Meanwhile, Montenegro returned to winning ways recently, securing a 2-1 comeback victory over Gibraltar on Friday.
Montenegro began their campaign strongly with consecutive wins over Gibraltar and the Faroe Islands in March but then suffered defeats in each of their next four games. Currently, with nine points from seven matches, Montenegro sit fourth in Group L, just above Gibraltar, who have lost all seven of their games so far.
On the other hand, Croatia maintained their excellent run with a 3-1 victory against the Faroe Islands at Stadion HNK Rijeka on November 14. Dalic’s men have won six and drawn one of their seven matches in Group L, with the sole draw being a goalless stalemate against Czechia on October 9. Croatia, one of only ten teams unbeaten in the qualifiers, top the group standings with 19 points from a possible 21, six points clear of second-placed Czechia.
### Montenegro vs Croatia: Head-to-Head and Key Numbers
This will be the second encounter between Montenegro and Croatia in the qualifiers. In their first meeting back in September, Croatia secured a comprehensive 4-0 victory.
Croatia are currently unbeaten in nine of their last 10 competitive games, amassing seven wins and two draws since November 2024. In contrast, Montenegro have won just two of their last seven matches across all competitions, suffering four losses and one draw since June.
Croatia have also been strong on the road recently, remaining unbeaten in their last three away games with two wins and one draw. Prior to this unbeaten streak, they struggled to find victory in seven consecutive away matches (4 losses and 3 draws).
### Montenegro vs Croatia: Prediction
With their qualification fate already decided, this final group game will be a dead rubber for both Montenegro and Croatia. While we expect Dalic to rotate his squad and field a changed XI, Croatia are still favourites to claim all three points and finish their qualifiers unbeaten.
**Prediction:** Montenegro 0-2 Croatia
### Montenegro vs Croatia: Betting Tips
– **Tip 1: Result** – Croatia to win
– **Tip 2: First-half winners** – Croatia (The visitors have led at halftime in five of their last seven games)
– **Tip 3: Over 4.5 cards** – No (There have been fewer than five bookings in Croatia’s last seven outings)
Stay tuned for an exciting conclusion to Group L as these two sides lock horns one final time.
https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/montenegro-vs-croatia-prediction-betting-tips-november-17th-2025