The final match of Group B takes place today as Spain takes on Albania and the fixture everybody is looking forward to seeing is Italy against Croatia. Spain, already into the round of 16, will have no pressure in this fixture which will allow them the luxury to rest key players and give minutes to others who haven’t featured yet, whereas Italy and Croatia, with all the big names on show today with significant stakes, both teams will be vying for a spot in the round of 16.
Here are SBN’s tips and predictions for today’s games!
52/10 Albania | Draw 33/10 | Spain 9/20 (19:00)
Albania is battling for their lives and must take points off Spain to keep their hopes alive, even as the best third-placed side, after picking up one point in their opening two games. Despite conceding goals, Sylvinho’s chargers have shown defensive resilience against Italy and Croatia respectively. Nedim Bajrami’s quick goal against Italy highlights their attacking potential, with further motivation added by the chance to create history by reaching the knockout stages for the first time. That being said, their opponents Spain will be looking to win their opening three games of a UEFA European Championship tournament for just a second time, having done so in 2008 (where they would go on to win the trophy). La Roja defeated Italy 1-0 thanks to a strong performance that didn’t reflect in the scoreline, becoming the second team to confirm their place in the knockouts after hosts Germany. Spain’s win on Matchday 2 secured their place in the knockout stage at Euro 2024 and confirmed their status as Group B winners. I think they make it three wins from their opening three.
2/1 Croatia | Draw 21/10 | Italy 27/20 (19:00)
This fixture between these two nations has always been closely contested. The last three meetings have all ended in 1-1 draws but with so much at stake in this fixture, I can’t see the same thing happening again. Spain made light work of Croatia in their opening match which resulted in a 3-0 defeat, the second fixture against Albania was again a mediocre performance but managed to salvage an important point in the end after it ended 2-2. Italy, the defending champions, was shocked by the early goal Albania scored in their opening match, but the quality of the Italians was too much for Albania to handle, and eventually lost 2-1 in the end. An own goal by Riccardo Calafiori was the reason they lost to Spain in the second match. Both teams have the opportunity to qualify for the next round, leaving an extra layer of excitement and anticipation around this decisive encounter. We could be witnessing the last of Luka Modric, one of the most gifted footballers to ever grace the field, if Croatia fails to qualify. BTTS at 8/10.