Spain FC are off for a rough start in Euro 2024, as they face Croatia FC for their opening fixture, in a tough match. Ahead of this match, Spain and Croatia already played 10 matches across all contests, where Spain earned more win. They won six of those 10 matches, as opposed to Croatia‘s three wins in their meeting. Moreover, Spain showed dominance in their qualifiers, where they topped their group in the qualifiers. Before this match, Spain had a 5-1 win against Northern Ireland, and are looking for the same result here. Meanwhile, for Croatia, they finished second during the qualifiers, and have received mixed results over the years. Furthermore, Croatia stunned Portugal recently, in a 2-1 win, which brings them confidence here. The meeting between these two teams is on June 16, 2024, at 12:00 AM (GMT+8).
Spain FC
Spain, a talented squad with a history of winning European Championships in 1964, 2008, and 2012, is expected to be a key player in Euro 2024. The team, which has also made the semi-finals of Euro 2020, is in Group B with Italy and Albania. Spain, Italy, and Croatia are expected to advance through the group stage with a third-placed finish. The team is in strong form, having won two June friendlies against Andorra and Northern Ireland. They will face Italy in their second Group B fixture on June 20 and finish their section against Albania four days later. Spain has won six of their previous 10 matches against Croatia, including a penalty-shootout victory in the final of the 2022-23 UEFA Nations League.
Spain squad is uncertain due to coach De la Fuente’s reluctance to reveal the starting lineup. Mikel Merino and Dani Olmo may start, but could be benched. Fabian Ruiz and Nico Williams will start from the first whistle. Aymeric Laporte missed training due to a muscular issue, so Nacho will feature in the middle. Lamine Yamal will become the youngest player to play at a European Championship.
Croatia FC
Croatia, with a strong World Cup record, is set to face Spain in the UEFA Nations League. The team has won their last match against Spain in the UEFA Nations League in November 2018, and they have a strong World Cup record, finishing as runners-up in 2018 and third at the 2022 Qatar competition. However, they have been knocked out in the round of 16 in their last two European Championship appearances. Croatia will enter the match with confidence, having won each of their last six matches in all competitions, including a 2-1 victory over Portugal in a friendly. Zlatko Dalic’s team has only lost two of their last 10 matches in all competitions and has scored nine times in their last three games.
Croatia’s midfield lineup includes Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic. Lovro Majer, with eight goals in 31 caps, is likely to start, with Andrej Kramaric and Ante Budimir potentially joining him. However, expect Ivan Perisic to start on the bench due to a knee injury.
Prediction:
Spain FC (1.5)
Odds: -0.86
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