Spain-Croatia, in Italy’s group gets off to an immediate start with a bang: here’s who could be the protagonists of the big match in Group B.
The Olympiastadion in Berlin will be the scene of an immediately potentially decisive challenge to define the hierarchies in what, by all accounts, is the iron group of Euro 2024. Spain and Croatia stand to be the main players in this grouping along with Luciano Spalletti’s Italy, which a few hours later will face Albania at Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund.
Spain, albeit by a small margin, is the favorite for first place despite the fact that Roja is no longer the one of 15 years ago, capable of winning two European Championships a World Cup consecutively. It is not the golden age, but technical commissioner Luis De La Fuente, who after a long trafila at the helm of youth selections a year and a half ago took over from Luis Enrique – who resigned after the flop in Qatar (elimination in the round of 16 with Morocco) – can rely on a group of young and talented players, which is not lacking in experience either. La Roja, if we exclude the initial slip against Scotland, dominated the qualifiers, while also winning the third edition of the Nations League. Coincidentally, beating in the final precisely Croatia, which will try to take revenge in Germany.
Zlatko Dalic, Croatia’s selector, is still banking on the “old guard” (Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Perisic) but woe betide the Vatreni, who finished on the third step of the podium in the last World Cup.
Spain-Croatia, Gvardiol and Brozovic at risk of caution
He may be an atypical 9 but when he wears the Roja camiseta, Alvaro Morata goes wild. For De La Fuente, he is the starting center forward, and against Croatia, after piercing the net in the 5-1 thrashing in the last test with Northern Ireland, the Atletico Madrid striker could punch his card on at least one occasion.
From the distance, however, one who can hurt is Rodri, who in Spain’s midfield does a bit of everything and is an irreplaceable pawn. The other danger, for the Croatian defense, is 16-year-old Yamal: the Barcelona teenager has already shown that he is up to the task on these stages and does not feel any pressure despite his age. From him we expect at least two total shots.
Croatia does not field “pure” first strikers up front either, but there are several players who can hurt the Spanish rearguard. One of them is Kramaric – should he start from the 1′ a token is worth spending on the Hoffenheim striker – but also watch out for the two “oldies” Perisic and Modric and especially Manchester City defender Gvardiol, who in the Premier League this year has scored as many as 4 goals and shot often at the opponent’s goal (as many as 3 shots in the last test with Portugal). Finally, in Spain, Le Normand and Carvajal are at risk of yellow; among the Croatians, on the other hand, the baddest could be former Inter player Brozovic and Gvardiol himself.
Share comparison
Morata scorer Plus is listed at 2.20 on Goldbet and Lottomatica and 2.75 on Snai. Gvardiol at least one shot total Plus on the other hand is quoted at 1.78 on Goldbet and Lottomatica.
