In a group of death with the participation of 3 strong teams, Italy, Croatia, and Spain, Albania is naturally considered as the “underdog” and a potential target for their competitors. At 8:00 PM on June 19, this team will be the opponent of Croatia, who are aiming for nothing but a full 3 points.

First half odds for the match Croatia vs Albania

The Croatian team will only have 4 days to prepare physically and tactically for the match against Albania after their opening match against Spain on June 15. Therefore, Coach Zlatko Dalic will not simply send his best players out and “devour” the underdog opponent, instead, he needs to carefully plan to rotate and preserve the squad. Of course, in a tournament as unpredictable as EURO, excessive complacency will always come at a high cost. Despite being highly rated even when playing with the second team, Croatia is likely to still field some key players to control the game. Perhaps the midfield maestros like Luka Modric, Kovacic, or Brozovic will still play but with carefully calculated rest time.

Prediction for the match Croatia vs Albania — Odds for the match Croatia vs Albania

With superior tactical skills and personnel, the checkered-shirt team has no reason to fear Albania, especially when the form of the Eagles is not very impressive. Coach Sylvinho’s team advanced as the top team in the qualifiers, winning 2 and losing 2 in their last 5 friendly matches. However, these achievements were against weaker opponents, and Albania has not really faced a heavyweight test like Croatia. It must be admitted that Albania has a relatively disciplined defense, but on the contrary, their attacking power is very modest. They only scored 12 goals in 8 matches during the EURO qualifiers, along with a lackluster record of 3/5 matches leading up to the tournament. Albania’s only hope in attack is Armando Broja, but the Chelsea forward is not the type to “carry the team” to serve this relatively simple attacking idea. In the last 5 matches, Croatia has scored at least 1 goal in the first half. In addition, Coach Zlatko Dalic may want to settle the match early against Albania to rest key players. Based on these factors, fans can put their trust in Croatia as well as first half goal betting. Prediction: Croatia -0/0.5 HT, Over first half goals

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Full match prediction for the clash between Croatia and Albania

If the first 45 minutes witness Croatia’s dominance, the second half of the match will be a slow and steady pace to secure the result for the checkered-shirt team. EURO 2024 is a short tournament and the break between matches is very short, so don’t be surprised if Coach Zlatko Dalic actively rests key players, especially when Croatia’s stars are all over 30 years old. However, a slow-paced approach from the opponent does not mean that Albania will have the opportunity to launch counterattacks. Although Croatia may not attack, they will still possess the ball very securely, a defensive style that has made even the mighty Portugal struggle in helplessness. Even if Modric or Kovacic are withdrawn from the field, Croatia still has enough midfielders to control the game.

Prediction for the match between Croatia vs Albania — Performance between Croatia vs Albania

In the match against Portugal before EURO 2024, Croatia also faced some pressure when deciding to play cautiously. However, Albania’s attack is simply not of the same quality as the European Selecao to hope to put enough pressure on Livakovic’s goal. A scenario that neutral fans do not like but is likely to happen is that the second half of the match will be quite dull and have few goals, even possibly no more goals. In contrast to the first half, the prediction for the overall score will be under because of Croatia’s caution and the unimpressive attacking potential on Albania’s side. In addition, a unique suggestion with quite high odds is to choose “no” in the “both teams to score” bet if fans want to minimize the risk to the maximum. Prediction: Croatia -1 FT, Under FT, Both teams to score – No