Euro 2024 Starts With the Battle Between the New and the Old Guard

Spain vs Croatia

Group B action for Euro 2024 will kick off with the match between Spain and Croatia at the Olympiastadion Berlin on Saturday night.

Spain and Croatia are favoured to get out of the proverbial “Group of Death,” so this contest is basically a battle for the top spot, unless Italy and Albania have other plans.

More importantly, this game represents a crossover between two generations, as Luis de la Fuente’s Spain are young and hungry while Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia are filled with grizzled veterans looking to make their last tournament together count by potentially winning a major trophy.

Which team do you think will come out on top in this marquee match of the weekend? Without further ado, continue reading below for the SBOTOP preview of this contest.

 

Talking Points

Yamal poised to break out for Spain

Spain national team captain Alvaro Morata firmly believes that Lamine Yamal has the potential to be one of the world’s best youngsters, and it’s not hard to see why.

Yamal caught everyone by surprise when he was called up by de la Fuente during last year’s qualifiers, and he didn’t disappoint since he made history by becoming the youngest national team player to feature and score for La Roja in their 7-1 rout of Georgia.

The 16-year-old went on to enjoy a breakthrough 2023-24 campaign with Barcelona, notching seven goals and 10 assists in 50 appearances across all competitions.

Lamine Yamal is almost certain to make history in the Euros, as he is expected to become the youngest player to feature in the tournament. Right now, Kacper Kozlowski holds such distinction, as he was 17 years and 246 days old when Poland took on Spain in June 2021.

He comes into this game in great form, as he has been involved in five goals (two goals, three assists) in his first seven caps for La Roja.

Lamine Yamal is not the only youngster that Spain’s opponents have to worry about, as Nico Williams, Fermin Lopez, Pedri, Alex Baena, and Daniel Vivian are also ready to contribute in their first major tournament for Spain.

 

Modric’s last dance with Croatia

As mentioned, Croatia will rely on their collective experience here in the Euros, and they will be led once again by their captain, Luka Modric.

Modric will turn 39 in September, but he continues to show everyone that age is just a number, as he is coming off another productive year for Real Madrid, having recorded two goals and six assists in all competitions, despite seeing his role reduced.

Luka Modric will be accompanied once again by fellow veterans Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, and vice-captain Domagoj Vida, who are all probably on their last legs.

Meanwhile, Croatia’s backline represents most of their youth, as Josko Gvardiol, Josip Stanisic, Josip Sutalo, Martin Erlic, and Marin Pongracic are all going to feature heavily for the Vatreni in this tournament.

 

History

Spain defeated Croatia in their previous encounter in the UEFA Nations League Final last year, as La Roja won 5-4 in the penalty shootout. It was Luis de la Fuente’s first major European trophy as head coach of the senior men’s team.

Before that, these two nations faced off in the Round of 16 of Euro 2020, where Spain won with an incredible score of 5-3. Pablo Sarabia, Cesar Azpilicueta, Ferran Torres, Alvaro Morata, and Mikel Oyarzabal scored for Spain, while Croatia benefitted from an own goal by Pedri and goals from Mislav Orsic and Mario Pasalic.

After beating Croatia, Spain survived a penalty shootout win over Switzerland in the quarter-finals before losing to eventual champions Italy in the same manner in the semi-finals.

 

Betting Tip

The Euro 2024 odds are in favour of Spain winning on Sunday. Luis de la Fuente’s men are priced at 1.97 to win, whereas Zlatko Dalic’s side is at 3.90 odds, and a draw is valued at 3.26 in the 1X2 market.

Given the trend of their most recent meetings, except for their 0-0 result after regulation in the UEFA Nations League Final last year, there should be enough Euro 2024 highlights to go by from this fixture, so going for bets like Over 2.00 at 1.59, Over 2.25 at 1.93, and Total Goals 2-3 at 1.89 is not a bad idea.

On the other hand, if you fancy your chances of a Croatian victory, then check out Correct Scores of 1-0 and 2-0, given their generous prices of 10.00 and 23.00, respectively.

   

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