Euro 2024: Spain Vs Croatia Preview
Written by Patrick Echatah
Spain take on Croatia in the opening game of what promises to be an exciting Group B at this summer’s European Championship on Saturday in Berlin.
Croatia have never made it past the quarterfinals of this prestigious competition, while Luis de la Fuente’s team are three-time winners of the European Championship.
Preview
Spain will come into this match in excellent form, having drawn with Brazil at the end of March and won their two June friendlies, defeating Andorra 5-0 and Northern Ireland 5-1. Every point will probably matter in this group as Luis de la Fuente’s team plays Italy in their second Group B match on June 20 and Albania in their last match four days later.
Having won their past six games across all competitions, including a notable 2-1 triumph over Portugal in a friendly, Croatia will go into this encounter with a lot of confidence. With nine goals in their last three games, Zlatko Dalic’s team have only lost two of their previous ten games in all competitions.
Head To Head
In November 2018, Croatia were victorious against Spain in the UEFA Nations League. Meanwhile, Spain emerged victorious in their round of 16 matchup of Euro 2020 with La Roja prevailing 5-3 after extra time.
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Players To Watch
Lamine Yamal, 16, has been sensationally tipped to lead La Roja to their fourth continental title. The Barcelona wonderkid is set to become the youngest player to ever feature in an European Championship game.
Lovro Majer has scored eight goals in 31 appearances for his country. Andrej Kramaric and Ante Budimir are expected to join Lovro Majer in the final third.
Verdict
It’s really difficult to predict this game; at first, we think Spain would win by a narrow margin before opting for a draw. Given their recent World Cup performances, Croatia deserve a great deal of respect, and we think Dalic’s team will be strong enough to draw with La Roja in their division opener.
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