Nations League runners-up Croatia will be looking to catch up with Group D frontrunners Turkey and Armenia as they welcome a struggling Latvia to the Stadion HNK Rijeka.

Having only played two qualifying games due to their participation in the Nations League, Croatia currently sit third in Group D, five points behind first-placed Turkey. The leaders have however played twice as many games as the Croats. Croatia remain unbeaten after their opening two fixtures in which they drew with Wales and won 2-0 against Turkey. Manchester City’s Mateo Kovacic has been Croatia’s standout player, scoring a brace in the win in Turkey, whilst Andrej Kramaric scored the goal against Wales and has continued his scoring form for Hoffenheim, netting three times in his last four games. The quality of Zlatko Dalic’s squad speaks for itself with the likes of Josko Gvardiol, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, and Ivan Perisic all available for the game against Latvia.

Latvia have been very poor throughout the qualifying campaign so far, failing to pick up a point from their first three matches. The pool of players available to manager Dainis Kazakevics lacks quality, with no players currently playing for clubs in Europe’s top five leagues.

The fixture between Turkey and Armenia provides a perfect opportunity for Croatia to put pressure on both sides. It is difficult to see a way in which Latvia can trouble Croatia, and Dalic will be confident that his side will comfortably pick up three points, scoring freely in the process.

Group D leaders Turkey will host second-placed Armenia on Friday night, in a game that is set up to be an action-packed thriller.

Turkey narrowly got the better of Armenia in the opening game of the qualification stage, with Stefan Kuntz’s team winning 2-1. Turkey followed this up with a 2-0 loss against Croatia; however, they bounced back during the most recent international break, beating both Latvia and Wales. So far, goals have been plentiful with twelve goals across Turkey’s four matches.

The goals have not come from a direct source, with various players contributing to Turkey’s tally of seven goals. In the last international break, Real Madrid’s wonderkid Arda Guler and Fenerbahce’s Cengiz Under were those who found their names on the scoresheet. The pair are both included in the squad, as well as captain Hakan Calhanoglu, who will provide creativity and danger from set pieces.

Oleksandr Petrakov’s Armenia side bounced back from their loss against Turkey by beating Wales and Latvia. Across their first three games, Armenia have scored the same number of goals as Turkey, netting seven times, with forwards Grant-Leon Ranos and Lucas Zelarayan contributing five. Despite their impressive attacking output, like Turkey, they have shown some defensive vulnerability, shipping five goals in three games.

The last time the two sides met saw three goals, but it could well have been more, with both sides having plenty of chances. The story should be similar in Istanbul, with the game being one to look out for.