Croatia will meet in Switzerland on Monday, after both teams earned two very different results in their previous match on Friday. Igor Stimac's men were stunned at home 0-1 by a goal from Snodgrass in the first half. The Croats realistically only have themselves to blame after having 19 shots, with only two hitting the target.
Paulo Bento's side comes in fresh off a confidence lifting victory over Russia, leapfrogging them and Israel in the Group F standings, although that could be temporary. Fabio Capello's side has two matches in hand and only trail the Portuguese by two points, while Israel can pull even with Portugal if they are to win their game in hand.
Monday's match will give both managers a chance to give some of their players a rest, and the opportunity to test some other options.
One change for Croatia could see Stimac making a change in the front line. Mandzukic and Ivica Olic were unable to figure out how to beat Scotland's Allan McGregor, which could end up forcing the Croatian manager to bring Everton's Jelavic into the squad against Portugal.
The 27 year-old has only managed five goals in 27 international matches for his country which could worry his manager. At the club level, the Everton striker was not able to do much better this past season, netting eight goals in 48 matches for the club.
Another option could also be former Arsenal man Eduardo Da Silva or 25 year-old Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk forward Kalinic, who scored 10 goals in 29 appearances for his club this past season.
Given Croatia's inability to find the back of the net in their last match, Paulo Bento's squad may expect a much better offensive performance from their opponents on Monday. Samic's side is averaging 1.4 goals a match in the Group Stage, leaving them second in the group, three points behind Belgium.
Heading into the match, the Portuguese manager can at least breath easy knowing that these two nations have met twice, with the Iberian's coming out on top in both occasions.
With changes expected from the Portuguese, Paulo Bento still believes his side will remain competitive, regardless of who he puts out there.
"We are going to make changes in every part of the pitch," Paulo Bento told reporters on Sunday.
"We are going to try and manage some fatigue within the side after Friday's match, but we will still be looking to remain competitive."
Three certain changes will be the absence of Nani, Cristiano Ronaldo and Fabio Coentrão, who will be left out due to fatigue. Helder Postiga, Friday's goal scorer may also make way for Hugo Almeida as the Besiktas striker continues to search for goals and consistency on the international stage.
All these changes on the Portuguese side were certainly expected, but it could cause problems for the flow of their game against a Croatian side that will be looking to erase their defeat from Friday.
The Croats were favorites to defeat Scotland on Friday, considering they were the hosts, but after losing and failing to score, the Croatian strikers will really be looking to prove their doubters wrong.
Having to deal with this frustration will be a Portuguese defense that is expected to be very different from the one who started against Russia, and held them goalless. Knowing that both sides are coming off a competitive match two days ago, this will be an opportunity for some of the younger and less used players to show their manager's what they have to offer.
Prediction
Croatia 1-1 Portugal
