Euro 2020: Croatia to Push La Roja All the Way

Croatia vs Spain

Croatia meet Spain at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen on Monday to battle it out for a place in the Euro 2020 quarterfinals.

La Roja are highly fancied at SBOTOP odds of 1.35 to make it through to the last eight while Croatia are on offer at 3.32, but Spain boss Luis Enrique knows this tie will be anything but easy against the 2018 World Cup finalists.

Both teams came through their group as runners-up but there’s no prize for coming second anymore as defeat leads to packing your bags and heading home, and neither Croatia nor Spain are ready for that quite yet.

Talking Points

Magical Modric can still do it for Croatia

At odds of 19.00 to reach the final, matching their achievement at the 2018 World Cup looks a long way away for the Croats.

But head coach Zlatco Dalic knows he can rely on his talisman and captain Luka Modric to inspire his team to achieve the very best they can once again.

Modric’s former Real Madrid teammate Cristiano Ronaldo has been in the Euro 2020 news with his five goals, taking him to the head of the race for the Golden Boot.

Croatia will heavily rely on Luka Modric in upcoming Last 16 Euro 2020 clash against Spain at Parken Stadium — Luka Modric celebrates scoring Croatia’s second goal in 3-1 victory over Scotland at Hampden Park.

Of all the players at the tournament, only Ronaldo has more international caps (176) than Modric’s 141. And at the age of 35, Croatia’s greatest player of all-time still has magic in his boots.

A narrow defeat to England and a draw with the Czech Republic meant Croatia had to beat Scotland in their final group game and they did it in style, winning 3-1. Nikola Vlasic’s early strike was equalised by Callum McGregor and then Modric took control.

Scotland were unable to deal with his slick running and passing, while Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic helped him to control the midfield. And just after the hour, Modric curled a beauty beyond the Scotland keeper and into the net.

Ivan Perisic made it three for his second goal of the competition to see the Croats safely through to the knockouts and to send Scotland home.

Spain hit back against Slovakia

The Euro 2020 betting odds have lost a little faith in Enrique’s young side and they have drifted slightly since finishing second to Sweden in Group E.

They are now on offer at 10.00 behind the Netherlands and Germany, but the odds could shift quite quickly if the Spaniards perform as they did in their last outing.

Following two uninspiring draws against Poland and Sweden, La Roja hit Slovakia for five.

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UEFA EURO 2020

Any question of the Slovaks sending Spain out of the competition were blown away when their own keeper Martin Dubravka bizarrely paddled the ball into his own net to open the floodgates.

Pablo Sarabia was the standout player for Spain as he scored the third, sandwiched by two goals made in Manchester.

Aymeric Laporte scored his first goal for his country following his switch from France, while his City teammate Ferran Torres got on the scoresheet before Juraj Kucka scored Slovakia’s second own goal.

It could have been even worse for the Slovaks but Dubravka managed to save a penalty from Alvaro Morata.

There is plenty of talent in this Spain team, and if they can find some consistency they could go a long way.

We are yet to see the best of RB Leipzig’s 23-year-old midfielder Dani Olmo. The Barcelona academy product has been an important player for Enrique, scoring twice in qualification.

As an attacking midfielder, he provides good support to Spain’s frontrunners and he could be a key man to help breach the Croatian defence.

History

Spain are three times champions of Europe with back-to-back wins during their golden period in 2008 and 2012 while Croatia have reached the last eight in 1996 and 2008.

La Roja have won three of the five meetings between these two nations, with the biggest win being a 6-0 thumping in the 2018 Nations League. But Croatia did exact some revenge, winning the return 3-2.

Spain are unbeaten in 10 games by winning three and drawing three of the last six, while Croatia have won two, drawn two, and lost two over that period.