Spain vs Croatia match preview and Euro 2024 tickets
Three-time Euro winners Spain will begin their journey towards a record-breaking fourth European Championship title this Saturday when they face cup specialists Croatia at the Berlin Olympiastadion.
Both sides are among the favourites to progress from a difficult Group B, which also has defending champions Italy and lowly Albania.
This is the third meeting between both sides in the European Championship in the last twelve years, so this tie has a lot of history and intrigue for fans and Euro 2024 tickets buyers.
But who will come out on top in this seventh consecutive competitive head-to-head meeting between both sides?
In this article, we preview the game, provide team news, and discuss each side's potential match winners.
Stats and form
Spain have lost just once in their last twelve games (W10, D1).
La Roja have scored 3+ goals in five of their last six games.
Spain have scored nine goals in the opening 30 minutes of play across their last six internationals.
La Roja is the only team to win the Euros in back-to-back editions, achieving that feat in 2008 and 2012.
Spain has had the most possession in each of their last 136 competitive games since beating Germany in the Euro 2008 final.
Croatia have won their last six games.
They have kept four clean sheets in their last six games.
Croatia was ranked first in the 2022 World Cup for high turnovers (59), shots from high turnovers (10) and pressed sequences (109).
They have lost just twice since losing to Argentina in the World Cup (90 minutes only).
Head-to-head
Spain and Croatia are facing each other in a fourth successive edition of the European Championship.
That has only previously occurred once, with Spain and Italy meeting at four straight European Championships between 2008 and 2020.
Spain has won two of its previous three encounters with Croatia (5-3 at Euro 2020, 1-0 at Euro 2012), while Croatia was beaten 2-1 at Euro 2016.
Three of the last five meetings between Spain and Croatia have had at least five goals. The most recent – a 5-3 extra-time win for La Roja at Euro 2020 – is the second-highest scoring game in Euros history, after Yugoslavia 5-4 France way back in 1960.
Overall, Spain has the upper hand in this fixture, winning six out of the nine times both sides have met, including international friendlies (D1, L2).
Match preview
After winning the third edition of the UEFA Nations League, Spain will look to win their first European Championship since their back-to-back wins in 2008 and 2012.
However, La Roja breezed through their qualifying group in the top spot, winning seven of their eight matches (L1) while conceding just five goals in total.
They continued on that trajectory by winning the Nations League, beating none other than Croatia to win the tournament’s final.
Luis de la Fuente’s side also proved that their wins were no fluke, as they won both of their final two friendly matches in preparation for this tournament, netting exactly five goals in each against Andorra and Northern Ireland.
However, their defending has been a bit patchy lately, as they kept one clean sheet across their last six internationals (W4, D1, L1). So their defence remains a potential weakness as they hunt success this summer.
That said, Spain has been slightly unlucky in major tournaments recently, winning just two of their knockout ties across five major tournaments since 2012.
Their possession-based football may wow and entertain, but it has produced little result.
However, De La Fuente has added a new dimension to their game with the trickery and dynamism of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal.
Both youngsters could hold the key to Spain unlocking defences, beginning with Croatia's defence, which has been hard to break down.
Zlatko Dalic’s men are one of the teams that can nullify Spain's patient approach, with Croatia also good at staying patient.
However, they do it with a level of savviness that deserted La Roja long ago, with only Spain (135) recording more sequences of 10+ passes than Croatia at the 2022 World Cup.
That said, the 2018 World Cup finalists didn't wow many fans in Qatar, as they relied heavily on the penalty shootout heroics of goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic in their two knockout triumphs over Japan and Brazil at the World Cup.
However, they remain an excellent pressing machine and will prove difficult to beat as they are comfortable in transition and possession.
They come into this game on the back of an encouraging friendly win against Portugal (2-1), which made it six wins in their last six games.
With Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, and Mateo Kovacic pulling the strings in midfield, Croatia could hurt any opponent, and Spain would underestimate them at their peril.
Key men
The current Spanish team may not possess the elegance and tricky of Xavi Hernandez, Xabi Alonso and Andres Iniesta or the defensive solidity and nastiness of Carles Puyol and Sergio Ramos, but they have a lot of talent that stands out in their own right.
Yet the spine of De la Fuente’s team is not in an individual but in their collective. They will rely on the goals of captain Álvaro Morata, though, with the Atletico Madrid man in the form of his life for the national team.
He has previously scored six goals across ten matches at the Euros and scored in his latest international outing against Northern Ireland.
Morata will be helped by the rapid wing duo of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal, whose pace, trickyness, and creativity will be key to converting Spain's possession into points.
The youngsters were ranked among the top four players for dribbles attempted in La Liga this season (Williams ranked second, with 191, and Yamal ranked fourth, with 141), and both also ranked third and fifth, respectively, for carries ending in a take-on (Williams 97, Yamal 82).
Williams has six goal involvements (two goals, four assists) in 13 senior appearances for Spain, while Yamal will become the youngest player in Euros history if he features. Few nations boast a pair of wingers as exciting.
Where Spain has youth and skill, Croatia has experience and elegance. Croatia’s Luka Modrić remains the key man for his nation despite being in the twilight of his career.
The Real Madrid man has netted five goals at major tournaments, with this being his fifth appearance at the European Championship.
Manchester City duo Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic are also top players who can single-handedly decide games. The defender, in particular, ended the season in good goal-scoring form.
Injury news
Spain's boss, Luis de la Fuente, is sweating over the fitness of Aymeric Laporte and Dani Olmo, who didn't play in any of their last two friendlies.
But in their absence, Spain has a lot of options to cover.
Croatia’s Ivan Perišić is the only doubt for this game. The former Tottenham and Inter Milan mas is still not at his 100% since recovering from knee surgery, so expect Andrej Kramaric to deputise in his absence.
Other than Perisic, Croatia has no pressing fitness issues.
How the teams could line up
Spain has employed a fluid 4-3-3 formation under De la Fuente, and the Spanish tactician is expected to maintain that formation against Croatia.
Zlatko Dalic also uses a 4-3-3 formation that changes to a 4-5-1 out of possession.
Spain (predicted lineup): Simón: Carvajal, Le Normand, Nacho, Grimaldo: Merino, Rodri, Pedri: Lamine, Morata, Williams
Croatia (predicted lineup): Dominik Livaković; Josip Stanišić, Josip Šutalo, Marin Pongračić, Josko Gvardiol; Luka Modrić, Marcelo Brozović, Mateo Kovačić, Lovro Majer, Ante Budimir, Andrej Kramarić.
Getting a ticket
Spain vs. Croatia tickets are available on Seatsnet from €499, the best deal you can find anywhere.
