Before the EURO 2024 tournament, both Spain and Croatia have shown a devastating form by achieving consecutive impressive victories. However, friendly matches will lose their meaning if either team is eliminated in the group stage.
Analyzing the first half of the match between Spain and Croatia
In this EURO edition, Spain and Croatia are in Group B, which is considered the group of death with the presence of 3 top contenders for the championship. Just by hearing it, one can understand the intensity of this race. In the first round of matches, while Italy was “heating up” against Albania, Spain and Croatia had to face each other early on.
In terms of recent form, Spain has been the most reassuring giant on the eve of EURO 2024. Their friendly matches witnessed an explosive attack, along with a well-functioning midfield and defense. Apart from the unexpected “accident” against Colombia, La Roja won 3 and drew 1 match (against Brazil) in their last 5 matches.
The biggest highlight created by Coach Luis De La Fuente must be the youthful attacking lineup such as Yamal and Williams, combined with the experience of captain Alvaro Morata. This attacking line has brought 16 goals in 5 matches for Spain, an extremely impressive performance.
As for Croatia, their results have been even more impressive than Spain’s, although the manner in which they achieved them was not too extravagant. Coach Zlatko Dalic’s team won 5 out of 5 matches, mostly with narrow margins, the latest being a 2-1 victory over the strong Portugal. Perhaps with what the two teams have shown recently, we can predict their playing style in this match.
Regardless, Spain is still rated higher and they will actively attack as they have done very well, while Luka Modric and his teammates will start with a practical defensive formation to wait for counter-attack opportunities. However, the attacking power of La Roja will likely bring them at least 1 goal in the first half.
Prediction: Spain -0/0.5 HT, over goals
Analyzing the entire match between Spain and Croatia
Since Coach Luis De La Fuente took over in 2023, Spain, a team that used to prioritize ball possession, has played more directly and diversified their attacking strategies. Besides short passing plays, the team sometimes finds goals from Morata’s headers or long-range shots from Pedri and Rodri.
Spain’s attacking power has almost reached its peak at this moment, and it is truly difficult for Croatia’s relatively unknown defense to resist successfully. In the current defensive line, Coach Zlatko Dalic only has Josko Gvardiol as a top-class player, along with Stanisic who has had some successful seasons. The rest of the players are mostly of average quality and do not build a certain level of confidence.
It should be noted that Croatia’s impressive defensive record is mainly due to the midfield’s ability to control the game well, which helps relieve the pressure on the team’s defense.However, when facing Spain, a team with the number 1 midfield in the world at the moment, it is difficult for players like Modric or Kovacic to maintain their ability to control and dominate the game. Overall, Croatia is still a tough opponent to play against, but the issue of the age of the veterans may not be able to stop the momentum of the comprehensive lineup on the Spanish side. It is likely that Spain will have the advantage after the first few matches, although it may not be easy. In terms of the betting odds, it is quite surprising that the total goals over/under is only 2/2.5, especially when 4 out of 5 recent matches between the two teams have had 3 or more goals. In addition, the handicap of 0.5 goals for the favored team Spain is a very attractive option for bettors to consider. Finally, the under/over for yellow cards is also a good choice as the last 5 matches of Spain and Croatia have had very few yellow cards. Prediction: Spain -0.5 FT, over goals, under yellow cards
