Croatia have been one of the surprise packages in Euro 2012 so far and at 25/1, still look good value to lift the trophy. But Slaven Bilic’s men will face their toughest test yet on Monday, when they face defending champions Spain in Gdansk.
Group C was expected by many to be a stroll to the quarter-finals for Spain and Italy, but Croatia have made people sit up and take notice, with four points from their opening two games.
A 3-1 win over the Republic of Ireland was impressive but equally so was the way they battled back from a goal down to Italy, to claim what looks like a valuable point. Bilic is one of the few coaches to play with two main strikers and that has paid dividends to date for Croatia (9/2 Group C Winner).
Mario Mandzukic is the joint top scorer in tournament, with three goals, and although he picked up a knock in the draw with the Azzurri, he is expected to start the final group game. Alongside Everton’s Nikica Jelavic, the Wolfsburg frontman (10/1 Euro 2012 Top Goalscorer) has been part of arguably the most threatening strike force in the tournament.
Luka Modric’s play-making performances in midfield have also been lorded, while Ivan Rakitic looks a real threat breaking from the middle of the park.
Those two will have to be at the top of their game though if they are to out perform the best midfield in the tournament. Spain’s Xavi, Xabi Alonso, Andreas Iniesta and David Silva are still the benchmark for opponents and they will again try to pull the strings in the middle of the park.
Despite firing in four goals in a comfortable win over the Irish, they still don’t convince everyone that they have the cutting edge to make history and collect a third major championship in a row.
It’s far too early to say Fernando Torres (11/8 To Score At Anytime) is back to his best and Vicente Del Bosque’s decision to play without a striker against Italy indicates he is not confident that he has a major weapon up front.
A big question from their second match remains – were Spain that good or were Ireland that bad? One plus for the world champions was that some of their squad players were given some experience of championship football and didn’t look out of place.
Croatia’s ability to keep possession, as well as pressurising the ball, will test Spain (Match Betting – Croatia 7/1, Draw 15/8, Spain 8/11) and give us a better idea of where both teams are and whether Croatia are a threat when making a shortlist of potential winners in what looks like a wide-open competition.
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With Spain expected to beat the Republic of Ireland in the late Group C game on Thursday, Italy know a win for them in the 5pm kick-off against Croatia (Italy 5/4, Draw 11/5, Croatia 5/2 in the match betting) is crucial if they are to progress to the knock-out phase of Euro 2012.