Croatia and Spain boast off two of the most star-studded squads in this summer’s tournament as a lot of big-name stars from the biggest football clubs in the world fill both teams’ rosters. This match is expected to be a highly-entertaining one with lots of chances coming from both sides.
In their most recent game last Friday, Croatia was held by the Czech Republic to a stunning 2-2 draw at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in Saint-Étienne to stop them from outright qualifying in the knockout stages, BBC Sport reported.
Vatreni blazed off to a commanding two-goal lead right before the hour mark of the game with goals from Inter Milan’s Ivan Perisic at the 37th minute off a pass from Fiorentina’s Milan Badelj and Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic at the 59th from a cross by Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic.
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The two-point advantage that late in the match seemed to be enough for head coach Ante Cacic’s squad to come away with their second straight win, but the Czechs were able to equalize the count with two late goals of their own, courtesy of forwards Milan Skoda and Tomas Necid at the 75th and 89th minutes respectively.
It’s a heartbreaking one for Croatia as they are still at risk of being disqualified in the next round if they lose this match against Spain.
Meanwhile, Spain dominated the competitions so far with two straight wins. The last one was a 3-0 thrashing of Turkey at the Allianz Riviera in Nice, which officially propelled them to the knockouts, via Sports Illustrated.
Juventus striker Alvaro Morata had a brace during the convincing win, at the 34th and 48th minutes, sandwiching Celta Vigo striker Nolito’s goal in the 37th to complete the team’s three-goal haul.
Head coach Vicente del Bosque’s is predicted to sweep the Group D and they will more likely do so in this match.
The predicted result is a 2-1 victory for Spain.
Croatia starting lineup (4-2-3-1 formation): Subasic; Srna, Corluka, Vida, Strinic; Badelj, Modric; Brozovic, Rakitic, Perisic; Mandzukic
Spain starting lineup (4-3-3 formation): De Gea; Juanfran, Pique, Ramos, Alba; Fabregas, Busquets, Iniesta; Silva, Morata, Nolito
