EURO 2020 Round of 16: Croatia vs. Spain Betting Preview, Odds, Prediction

Croatia and Spain meet in the EURO 2020 Round of 16 at Parken Stadium in Copenhagen. This might be one of the closest matchups of the entire stage, featuring two teams who didn’t start the tournament well but improved their form as time went by. Both have advanced as the second in their respective assemblies, securing the place in the last 16 following victories. The bookmakers are favoring Spain, who didn’t shine at all so far. Croatia is a bit underestimated, we might say, and that will be an additional motive for Zlatko Dalic’s guys.

Preview

Croatia (+350) shined in the last match of the group stage, defeating Scotland at Hampden and propelling themselves into the knockout stage as the second-placed team from Group D. In that 3-1 win, the fans had a chance to see fantastic Luka Modric, who is still one of the best players in the world despite his 35 years. Real’s midfielder scored one of the most beautiful goals of the tournament.

As time goes by, this unit plays better and better, and even though Croatia lacks several superstars from the previous World Cup in Russia, you simply can’t underestimate it. After all, with Modric, we have Kovacic, Brozovic, Perisic, who are all playing for top European teams.

After four matches without a win, the Croats finally triumphed, breaking the streak of low-scoring games. A contest vs. Scotland was only the second in the past eight with over 2.5 goals.

Spain (-115) smashed Slovakia in the third round of the group stage, 5-0, but again, we weren’t thrilled with the way they played. If it weren’t for two cardinal errors made by the Slovakian goalkeeper Dubravka, who knows what might happen.

The Red Fury had an initiative, but their attacks were not effective at all. Spain missed a penalty before the first goal, which was their second at the tournament. Alvaro Morata couldn’t net from the spot this time, and may we add that Juventus’ striker looks terrible at this EURO.

On the other end, the Spanish defense is looking pretty good, keeping clean sheets for the fourth time in the past five games.

Latest News

Dejan Lovren will miss the match at Parken because of his yellow card suspension. Josko Gvardiol picked up an injury in the second half against Scotland, and his presence is doubtful.

Sergio Busquets might skip the match as well. The Spanish veteran received one nasty knock against Slovakia, which eventually forced Luis Enrique to pull him out of the game.

Head to Head Games

Spain and Croatia met for the last time in the 2018 UEFA Nations League edition. Both teams split a win apiece, but the one Spain posted at home was memorable. The Red Fury smashed Croatia 6-0. World Cup runners-up responded in the second leg, winning 3-2.

Prediction

Spain has an excellent defense and likes to play slow and dull matches, keeping the ball in its possession. Pretty much the same could be said for the Croatian team, who stalks the rivals’ mistake, perfectly using the same and scoring goals from those situations. Our pick for this event is a moderate efficiency, 2 or 3 goals, with the current odds for that +100.

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Also, here you can find more info about the upcoming men’s Olympic football tournament in Tokyo.