Spain vs Croatia Prediction (11pm June 15): A fateful match

(Dan Tri) - Despite winning against their opponents many times in the past, Spain still has certain reservations in the match against Croatia in the opening match of Group B of Euro 2024 at Olympiastadion (Berlin, Germany).

Spain and Croatia have met in each of the last three Euros. At Euro 2012, La Furia Roja beat Croatia 1-0 in the group stage of the tournament they won. Four years later in France, Croatia beat Spain 2-1 in the group stage. At Euro 2020, Croatia lost 3-5 to Spain and were eliminated in the round of 16. In the most recent match, Spain beat Croatia on penalties in the final to win the 2022-2023 UEFA Nations League. In 10 matches, Spain beat Croatia in 6 matches and history favors the Spanish team in tonight's match.

Spain's last title was the 2022-2023 UEFA Nations League championship (Photo: Reuters).

At Euro 2024, Spain have won the tournament three times, in 1964, 2008 and 2012. Croatia have never gone further than the quarter-finals in this tournament and have been more successful at the World Cup, finishing runners-up (2018) and third place twice (1998 and 2022). Entering Euro 2024, Spain have a young squad under new coach Luis De La Fuente, but they are not highly regarded for their experience. Croatia still rely heavily on veteran stars, typically Luka Modric under coach Zlatko Dalic. Ahead of the tournament in Germany, Spain won both friendly matches 5-0 against Andorra 5-0 and 5-1 against Northern Ireland. Croatia impressed with a 2-1 victory over Portugal and have lost just two of their last 10 matches. In terms of squad, Spain suffered a loss as Mikel Merino and Dani Olmo have not recovered from injury yet, so Fabian Ruiz and Nico Williams are likely to start from the start. Carvajal returned to training yesterday and will start at right-back.

Luka Modric is the most notable star that Spain needs to be wary of (Photo: Reuters).

On the Croatian side, the experienced trio Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic will start from the beginning to control the game against Spain's very strong midfield with Rodri and Pedri. Kramaric will be the spearhead playing highest on Croatia's attack line and the Spanish defense will have to be wary, as both Le Normand and Nacho are not highly rated for their speed. On the opposite side, Gvardiol will have a hard day's work when facing Spain's three top strikers Yamal, Morata and Williams. In the opening match of Euro 2024, it is likely that the two teams will play cautiously and will not be able to show their full strength. Therefore, a draw will satisfy both sides, although Spain is still considered to have a slightly better squad quality. Expected lineup Spain : Unai Simon; Carvajal, Le Normand, Nacho, Grimaldo; Ruiz, Rodri, Pedri; Yamal, Morata, Williams Croatia : Livakovic; Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol; Brozovic, Kovacic, Modric; Majer, Budimir, Kramaric

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Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/nhan-dinh-tay-ban-nha-croatia-23h-ngay-156-cuoc-dau-duyen-no-20240614195910475.htm