On June 24, the Italy national team will play against Croatia in the 3rd round match of the 2024 European Championship group stage. Many fans who want to add emotion to watching football broadcasts have a question: which company is best for betting? Reliable bookmaker 1xBet offers a broad line with the highest odds for all Euro 2024 games, so don’t miss your chance and bet on your favorite in the Italy v Croatia clash via the link.
Title defense under threat
The Italy national team was not among the main Euro 2020 favorites but showed character and became the champion. Now, there are higher demands for the Squadra Azzurra – the fans want their squad to defend the title. However, their first two matches at the European Championship 2024 raise doubts about the Italians’ ability to show a good result. Luciano Spalletti’s team reacted well to the missed goal from the Albanians and turned the tide in the first half, but they could have missed the victory in stoppage time. The game against Spain ended in defeat with a 0-1 score, although the Italians could have conceded 1 or 2 more. Moreover, Italy didn’t create a single moment at the opponent’s goal.
Squadra Azzurra’s big problem is the lack of creative players. The match with Spain showed that if Federico Chiesa is closed, the Italians become very limited in attack. The Italy national team has always been famous for its defense, but young Riccardo Calafiori has not yet lived up to expectations. His own goal was decisive in the struggle with the Spaniards, and a positional error at the end of the game against Albania could have cost the lost points. Even a defeat from the Croats in certain scenarios will allow Italy to reach the playoffs, but is this what is expected from the European champion?
Croatia’s last chance
Zlatko Dalić’s squad has only one point after two games and must win the battle against Italy. The history of their head-to-head matches speaks in favor of the Balkans: over the past 30 years, they have played 8 times, and Croatia has not lost a single one! Also, the Checkered Ones will have one more day to rest, which may give them an advantage.
For Luka Modric, Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, and Marcelo Brozović, the tournament in Germany will almost certainly be the last European Championship in their careers. The Croatian star generation reached the World Cup final, but over the past 15 years, they couldn’t go further than the round of 16. So far, the Checkered Ones do not have new stars who could fully replace experienced players soon, so Euro 2024 may be the last chance for great success.
Despite the defeat from Spain with a 0-3 score, Zlatko Dalić’s team showed a good performance and created no less dangerous chances than their opponents. In the match with Albania, the Croats played worse than their rivals but missed the victory in the last minutes. The Checkered Ones have a game of their lives ahead against Italy, and now they have no room for error.
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