Croatia

Croatia started the Euro 2020 championship not as successfully as they had hoped – losing 1:0 to the England team. This defeat for the 2018 World Cup finalist Croatian team meant that they would have to chase other teams and victories would be necessary. In the next group match, they drew 1:1 with the Czech team, which meant that the Croatian team needed a win in the match against Scotland, as a draw or loss would mean we wouldn't see the Croats in the round of 16. However, with a 3:1 result, the Croats won against the Scots and demonstrated the game that their football fans had expected from the start of the tournament.

The victory against the Scottish team also guaranteed the Croats second place in the group, which meant that in the next stage, the Croats would face the Spaniards, who also took second place in their group. Although the Croats won convincingly in the last group stage match, at times we saw confusion and many small individual mistakes in their game, especially in the first half. For this reason, it is quite difficult to imagine the Croats seriously competing for the title in this tournament at this moment.

Historically, the Croats play evenly with the Spaniards, and the matches are competitive. Considering that this year the Spaniards do not look as strong as in previous years, the Croats, having corrected small details and playing more confidently, may have good chances to surprise.

Spain

The Spanish team has received a lot of criticism in this tournament for their performance, waste of opportunities, and uncertainty. This criticism can be justified, considering that the Spaniards had only 2 points after 2 rounds. In the championship opening match, they drew 0:0 with Sweden, and 1:1 with Poland. In both matches, the Spaniards had several almost 100% chances to score goals, but both Morata and Moreno wasted them left and right.

However, in the decisive match when the Spaniards' fate in the championship was at stake, the team focused and thrashed the Slovak team 5-0, advancing to the round of 16 from the second position in the group. The match against Slovakia was like a breakthrough match, where opportunities were finally realized, and the game looked much more lively – the kind of game expected from this team before the championship. Of course, the Slovak team is not the opponent that, after thrashing, the Spaniards would again be considered among the favorites to win the championship, but it is a good push forward to improve their game.

Predicted starting lineups:

Croatia:
Livakovic; Vrsaljko, Lovren, Vida, Gvardiol; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Vlasic, Petkovic, Rebic;

Spain:
Simon; Azpilicueta, Laporte, Torres, Alba; Pedri, Busquets, Koke; Sarabia, Morata, Moreno.

Prediction

Bookmakers consider the Spanish team to be the clear favorite in this match. It can be agreed that the Spaniards should be the favorites, but the Croats are capable of putting up a fight and surprising, as they have done more than once. In this match, I. Perisic, who is one of the most important players on the team, will not be able to help the Croats, which significantly increases the Spaniards' chances of winning. If the Spaniards do not waste opportunities and play confidently, we will probably see them winning, but the Croats should also score their goal. Predicted result – Spain 2:1 Croatia.