Euro 2016:Spain vs Croatia – Preview

Group D’s final two matches will be played tonight with two fixtures, Spain vs Croatia and Turkey vs Czech Republic. European Champions Spain take on Croatia which will probably be their toughest fixture so far.  Both the teams are strong in midfield and it will be a great battle to watch.

 

Spain have largely been untroubled so far, having beaten a sturdy Czech Republic side 1-0 in the first game before trashing turkey 3-0 in the last game, they seem to have hit the right form at the right time and now only need a draw to win the group.  Vicente Del Bosque’s decision to leave out some big players like Mata and Torres raised some eyebrows but his team selection seems to have paid off as Nolito and Morata combined well against Turkey and showed no signs of their lack of experience.

Croatia threw away a two goal advantage against Czech Republic , a game which was seemed won , but Czech Republic sensationally came back to earn a vital point. Croatia were fined 100,000 euros by UEFA for fan violence in the last game , will rely on their midfield duo of Modric and Rakitic to break down the Spanish side, even though a point will ensure second place , and if Czech Republic fail to beat Turkey , Croatia will qualify automatically irrespective of this game’s result.   

Spain would like to enter the round of 16 with 100% win record and to do so they will have to break down a tight Croatian defence, Vicente Del Bosque’s men will have history on their side as Croatia have just won 1 of the 5 games played between these sides, their last competitive meeting was at Euro 2012 where a late goal from Jesus Navas eliminated the Croats who needed a win to progress in from the group stages.

 

Also Read – Spain vs Croatia : 5 Key Players to watch out for