Spain v Croatia Tips, Prediction & Preview - Euro 2024

We have Spain v Croatia tips for you plus a prediction as we breakdown the betting odds, team news and matchups ahead of this opening round Euro 2024 game.

Spain head into their opening game of the tournament on the back of two rampant victories; 5-0 against Andorra and 5-1 against Northern Ireland.

Croatia are in a similar vein of form following a 3-0 win against North Macedonia and a 1-2 win against Portugal in their June warm-up matches.

How To Watch Spain v Croatia

When is Spain v Croatia?

Spain v Croatia will take place on Saturday at 5.00 pm

TV Channel

RTÉ 2

Stream

RTE Player

Where is Spain v Croatia Being Played?

Olympiastadion, Berlin

Spain v Croatia Odds

Spain are favourites to kick their tournament off with a win at 5/6. Croatia can be gotten at 16/5 while the draw is 12/5.

Handicap Betting

Spain -1 @ 12/5

Croatia +1 @ 10/11

Handicap Draw -1 @ 5/2

Spain v Croatia Weather Forecast

The weather is expected to be 20 degrees with a 15% chance of rain.

Spain v Croatia Preview

Spain’s Form

Spain qualified for the tournament in close to perfect fashion following a record of 7 victories and 1 defeat from their 8 group games, with their only loss coming 2-0 against Scotland. However, they still finished 4 points ahead of The Scots in second place. They scored 25 goals across those qualification games and had a watertight defence with only 5 goals conceded in 2023.

Their form in 2024 could be considered progressive after initially losing 0-1 against Colombia in March which was followed by a 3-3 draw against Spain. However, their warm-up friendlies went even better (albeit against weaker opponents) with a 5-0 win against Andorra and a 5-1 win against Northern Ireland.

Spain has been managed by de la Fuente since he was appointed on the 8th of December 2022 as head coach of the Spain national football team following the resignation of Luis Enrique when they were knocked out of the 2O22 World Cup Round of 16 on penalties by Morocco.

Since taking the helm for Spain he has guided them to a strong record of 10 wins, 2 draws and 2 defeats for a win rate of 71.43% and a Goal Difference of +29.

Spain's Last Five Results

Spain 5-1 Northern Ireland | June 8th | Win

Spain 5-0 Andorra | June 5th | Win

Spain 3-3 Brazil | March 26th | Draw

Spain 0-1 Colombia | March 22nd | Loss

Spain 3-1 Georgia | November 19th | Win

3 Wins, 1 Draw and 1 Loss

Croatia’s Form 

Croatia qualified for Euro 2024 by finishing runner-up qualifying Group D coming 1 point behind Turkey with a record of 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses from their games against Turkey, Wales, Armenia and Latvia. They scored a meagre 13 goals conceding although they had a watertight defence conceding just 4.

In 2024 they head into this tournament unbeaten, during the March window they drew 0-0 against Tunisia before beating Egypt 2-4 in their second game of the “FIFA Series” which means they were one of the winners. Ahead of the tournament, they had two good wins 3-0 against North Macedonia and 1-2 against Portugal.

Zlatko Dalić has been in charge of Croatia since 2017 and for his work with the nation, he is widely regarded as the greatest coach in the history of the Croatian national team due to his success achieved at multiple World Cups, consisting of a runner-up and a third-place finish.

His overall record as Croatia’s manager is a respectable win rate of 51.19% after guiding them to 43 wins, 21 draws and just 20 defeats from his 84 matches in charge. Croatia tend to use either a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 formation

Croatia’s Last Five Results

Portugal 1-2 Croatia | June 8th | Win

Croatia 3-0 North Macedonia | June 3rd | Win

Egypt 2-4 Croatia | March 26th | Win

Tunisia 0-0 Croatia (4-5) | March 23rd | Draw

Croatia 1-0 Armenia | November 21st | Win

4 Wins and 1 Draw

Spain v Croatia Predicted Lineups

Spain Predicted Starting XI (4-3-3)

GK: Simon

RB: Naves, CB: Fernandez, CB: Le Normand, LB: Cucurella

RM: Pedri, CM: Rodri LM: Ruiz

RW: Yamal, CF: Morata, LW: Williams

Croatia Predicted Starting XI (4-3-3)

GK: Livakovic

RB: Stanisic, CB: Sutalo, CB: Pongracic, LB: Gvardiol

RM: Modric, CM: Brozovic, LM: Kovacic

RW: Majer, CF: Budimir, LW: Kramaric

Spain v Croatia Head-To-Head Results & Stats

All-Time Head-To-Head Record

Spain wins: 4

Croatia wins: 2

Draws: 0

Head-To-Head Results

Croatia 0-0 (4-5 on penalties) Spain | Nations League Final | June 18th, 2023

Croatia 3-5 Spain (AET) | Euro 2020 | June 28th, 2021

Croatia 3-2 Spain | Nations League | November 15th, 2018

Spain 6-0 Croatia| Nations League | September 11th, 2018

Croatia 2-`1 Spain | Euro 2016 | September 21st, 2016

Key Players To Watch

Nico Williams – Spain

When somebody speaks about the “coincidental” Spanish Footballer, one usually thinks of a midfielder who is comfortable in the Tika-taka style of short passing and movement, working the ball through various channels, and maintaining possession.

However, with Williams (21) who plays his club football with Athletic Club, they have a footballer who offers something quite different to a usual Spanish squad member. Williams is a traditional winger who likes to cut inside with his electric pace and showstopping skill making him very different to the usual Spanish threat while also capable of linking up for the stereotypical Spanish build-up.

Matteo Kovacic – Croatia

While Modric will receive the bulk of the attention I believe Man City midfielder Kovačić will be far more influential in the summer. He’s likely to be the main passing and carrying link for Modric and will allow Modric to play a “free” role with fewer defensive responsibilities.

Spain v Croatia Prediction & Best Bet

Prediction: Spain 1-1 Croatia

The last few games between both sides have been high-scoring competitive affairs and this tie could end up being one of the games of the tournament based on previous results.

The first game of the tournament for teams can often be a nervy affair and with Italy expected to earn three points in their opening game against Albania a defeat here for either side might put their knockout qualification aspirations in serious jeopardy

Spain could potentially overrun the Croatian midfield, but I think they will be able to tactically match the Spaniards so I’m going with a scored draw.

Best Bet: BTTS + Draw @ 15/4

*Prices are subject to fluctuation.

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