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Steffen Schmidt - June 10, 2024
Straight after the 2024 Euro draw, the fans proclaimed section B as the “group of death”. It features three continental heavyweights and one massive underdog. The top three spots could eventually come down to the margin of each team’s wins against Albania.
Stay tuned as we come up with everything you need to know about the four teams in this super-exciting section.
The Furia Roja arrive in Germany with tempered ambitions. They no longer possess a roster full of superstars in their prime. They’ve been a part of a youth movement for quite a while actually.
That said, nobody can underestimate the 2008 Euro and 2010 World champions. Spain have not done much at major tournaments in recent years but they announced the return to the big stage by winning the UEFA Nations League last year. Luis de la Fuente’s men have beaten the likes of Croatia in the grand final on penalties after a goalless draw in 120 minutes of play.
Despite the shocking early loss to Scotland, Spain ended the 2024 Euro qualifying campaign on a high. They have won all the remaining seven outings, including the rematch with the Scots to finish four points clear of them at the top of the group standings.
It will be very interesting to see which players will de la Fuente use in his 4-3-3 formation. Unai Simon is safe in goal, just as Rodri in midfield and Alvaro Morata up front. Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal is the frontrunner for the right winger position, while we also expect the likes of Dani Olmo, Fabian Ruiz, and Nico Williams in Spain’s strongest XI.
Prediction: While Spain are labeled as the joint-fourth favourites to win the 2024 Euro, we would not be surprised to see them finish anywhere between a first and third place in this group.
The reigning European champions who shockingly missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar are ready to stun the continent again.
Not many experts give Azzurri any chance of defending their trophy on German soil. We are among those. With all due respect to Italy and their football culture, the current roster does not give many for optimism to their fans.
Italy only secured automatic qualification for the 2024 Euro on a better head-to-head record. They held Ukraine to a goalless draw on the final day of the qualifying campaign to secure the runners-up position.
Azzurri will feature without some familiar names in Germany. Luciano Spalletti did not call up the likes of Ciro Immobile, Domenico Berardi, Nicolo Zaniolo, Marco Verratti, and Francesco Acerbi among others.
Spalletti has tested two different formations in recent exhibitions. It will be very interesting to see whether Italy will play with three or four men at the back.
Prediction: Italy do not possess the quality to shoot for the stars. We would not be shocked to see them finish third in this section.
The 2024 Euro will represent the last hurrah of Croatia’s golden generation. This Croatian team has shocked the planet on so many occasions in the last six years. They made it to the World Cup final in 2018 in Russia and they won the third place four years later in Qatar.
Zlatko Dalic’s squad went on to reach the UEFA Nations League final last year only to lose to Spain on penalties. They have experienced some hiccups throughout the qualifying campaign but their appearance in Germany never truly came in doubt.
Luka Modric is still the heart and soul of this team, even at the age of 39. This is surely his last big competition for the national side. The Croatian national pride always pushed the players to offer better performances for their country and Dalic has some serious talent in his ranks.
Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic, and Luka Modric make one of the best midfield partnerships in the competition. Left wing-back hybrid Josko Gvardiol enjoyed a sensational end to his inaugural season at Manchester City, delivering goals and assists weekly in the Premier League run-in.
We must not forget the likes of Josip Stanisic and Andrej Kramaric who produced fantastic displays for their respective clubs in the German Bundesliga. Lastly, the latest reports suggest that Ivan Perisic has done extremely well to recover from his lack of proper football action since a lengthy injury.
Croatia fell to Spain in both the 2020 Euro (last-16 round, in extra-time) and the UEFA Nations League final (penalties) in the previous two meetings. They open the competition with the match against the Furia Roja. If Modric and the company manage to get the win, the first place in the group will be well on the cards.
Prediction: Experts continue underestimating Croatia and Zlatko Dalic’s men keep performing extraordinarily well in big tournaments. Croatia can cause damage and top this group.
Albania made their debut at the European Championship eight years ago in France. Back then, they left a strong impression in three tight games against Switzerland, France, and Romania. None of these three outings provided three or more goals which speaks volumes about the team’s defensive showings on the occasion.
The rock-solid defence was exactly what secured the Albanians their second European Championship appearance. The team led by a legendary Brazilian full-back Sylvinho topped qualifying Group E thanks to superb defensive showings. Albania shipped no more than four goals in eight qualifying affairs.
In terms of talent, the Red and Blacks are nowhere near the other three outfits in the section. The team’s most lethal forward is Rey Manaj who only has seven international goals to his name.
The Albanians did not look great in recent friendlies in May. They fell 0-3 to Chile and 0-1 to Sweden in March this year.
Prediction: Never say never, but it is very hard to see Albania doing much against three European heavyweights in this section. The bottom-place finish is almost a guarantee.
Spain vs. Italy:
The old school nemesis set to release their youth weapons at each other. Both teams are going through a transformation period. They are set to battle it out on the final day of the group stage. The drama will be sky-high with a place in the knockout phase potentially at stake.
Spain vs. Croatia:
Croatia are ready for revenge after falling narrowly to Spain in both the last-16 round of the previous Euro and the last year’s UEFA Nations League final. The opening game of Group B will give us a lot of answers.
Group B will bring us tension, drama, and phenomenal battles featuring some of the best players on the continent. You just can’t afford to skip any of the head-to-head encounters between Spain, Italy, and Croatia in this section. Albanian players can enjoy the occasion of featuring in the matches against such big teams on such a big stage.
Also Read
Euro 2024 Group A Preview and Predictions
Euro 2024 Group C Preview and Predictions
Euro 2024 Group D Preview and Predictions
