Who will advance from UEFA Euro Group B with Spain? Will it be reigning champions Italy or perennial dark horses Croatia? We’ll all find out together on June 24 when Croatia and Italy battle it out on the final day of Group B action.
Get ready for that big match and Albania vs. Spain with our Euro 2024 predictions and best bets for both matches below.
Spain have guaranteed their place in the next round as Group B winners by beating Croatia and Italy in their first two Euro 2024 matches. Most soccer betting experts think La Roja will take their foot off the gas against Albania. The bookmakers aren’t so sure though.
Albania are -1.5 goal underdogs against Spain. After watching their first two matches, we think this is an unfair spread to the Albanians.
Sylvinho’s side held their own for much of the match against Italy and nearly upset 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia. Spain are better than both those teams, but, with nothing to play for, we reckon Albania can keep things close and not lose by multiple goals.
Since the 2018 World Cup, Croatia have consistently overperformed at international tournaments. A nation of just over 3 million repeatedly took down some of the biggest soccer nations in the world. Unfortunately, that era looks to be over.
Spain completely outclassed Croatia in their first match of the tournament. Against Albania, it was clear that Croatia does not have the legs to go far in a major tournament any more.
The Euro betting sites still give the Croatians a chance, but we think they’re done. Italy needs a draw or a win to go through to the next round. We think they’ll get the win and knock Croatia out of Euro 2024.
As bad as Croatia have looked, they are still a talented side. With their backs against the wall, it’s a safe bet to wager that they will get at least one goal against Italy.
For their part, the Azzurri need to get a good result here. They cannot afford to be as passive as they were against Spain in match two. Playing against a less dangerous side going forward should allow the Italians to go for it and bag one or more goals against Croatia.
The betting odds are split on this one, so if you want to fade our pick, you can find good value going against us.
