Croatia v Spain – Match Preview – Euro 2012 – 18 June 2012
Spain looks to book their spot in the quarterfinals as they face Croatia in the last round of Euro 2012 Group C fixtures. The match will take place at the Arena Gdansk in Gdansk, Poland with kickoff scheduled for 20:45 local time.
Croatia manager Slaven Bilic
“A [high-scoring] draw doesn’t enter into our minds, that would be stupid. My players know what they must do and their levels of determination are sufficiently high. This is the most important game of their generation.”
“If we’re talking about Spain only at this EURO I believe they have shown two faces. We analysed both of their games and think that against Italy they were different. We have to play like Spain did in that first game [denying their opponents the ball]. It won’t be easy as they have been the best team in the world over the past four or five years but we will look to hold possession for as long as possible while running as much as we can. We play our best when we play against the top teams.”
Spain manager Vicente del Bosque
“We are a very strong team but football can always spring surprises. You saw that in the semi-finals of the Champions League this season while at these finals I thought Poland and Russia would go through but that didn’t come to pass. Anything can happen, we must be aware of that and of the fact that being overconfident in this sport can make things very tricky.”
“(Croatia) have shown in past tournaments that they are capable of achieving great results”
“If we are not alert we will be punished, I have no doubt about that.”
Match Outlook
Spain are favorites against almost any side and this is definitely true versus Croatia. If Fernando Torres can play like he did Ireland then Spain should win by a comfortable margin. Croatia are a dangerous team and could give Spain some trouble but will need strong performances from their back line. Overall, Spain are too strong and should slowly wear down Croatia.
Players To Watch
Luka Modric (Croatia) – The Tottenham midfielder will need a great match and be the outlet (to the forwards) for counterattacking chances
Fernando Torres (Spain) – The striker had two goals against Ireland and will need to continue to finish chances
Euro 2012 Group C Table (after second round of fixtures)
| PO | TEAM | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Spain
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 |
Croatia
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 3 |
Italy
|
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| 4 |
Ireland
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 7 | -6 | 0 |
Euro 2012 Team Stats
| Croatia | Spain | |
|---|---|---|
| Goals | Mario Mandzukic 3 | Fernando Torres 2 |
| Assists | David Silva 3 | |
| Yellows | Niko Kranjcar 1 | Fernando Torres 1 |
Betting Odds
Croatia win – 15/2
Draw – 40/17
Spain win – 8/11
