CROATIA and Albania square off in their second Group B fixture of Euro 2024 as they look to bounce back from opening day defeats.
The Croats will be keen to make a statement and their superior quality should give them the upper hand on Wednesday.
The task for Croatia will be to re-establish their status as one of the favourites to go far in the competition after suffering a tough 3-0 defeat to Spain in their opening fixture. All the goals were scored in an abysmal first half before Zlatko Dalic’s men regained their composure for some damage limitation after the break.
The good news for them is that this was their first defeat in seven matches, so they've shown some good form in recent times. Among their results in that run is a 2-1 defeat over 2016 champion Portugal and they will be keen to channel that performance on Wednesday.
Albania are also coming off a defeat as they were beaten 2-1 by reigning champions Italy in their opening fixture. They stunned the Italians with an early goal through Nedim Bajrami but ultimately succumbed to the superior quality of the champions.
While the Albanians were impressive during the qualifiers, they often fall short against superior teams as evidenced by their recent matches. Saturday’s result means Sylvinho’s men are now winless in five of their last seven matches across all competitions.
How the bookies view it: Croatia still favoured
Despite that opening day loss, Croatia are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies at 1/2 by Betfred. An unlikely victory for Albania is priced at 13/2 while a draw is set at odds of 16/5.
Head to head
This will be the first-ever meeting between Croatia and Albania.
Players to watch: Kramaric to step up
Andrej Kramaric had a quiet outing in the opening fixture and will be keen to find his rhythm on Wednesday the forward often carries much of Croatia’s attacking threat and is priced at 7/4 by Betfred to get on the score sheet.
Nedim Bajrami could also be worth keeping an eye on for Albania following his goal in the opening fixture. The attacker is often a handful to deal with and is priced at 6/1 by Betfred to find the net once again.
Probable line-ups
Bruno Petkovic looked lively after coming off the bench last time out and could feature from the start on Wednesday. Veteran Winger Ivan Perisic could also be included in the starting line-up after playing as a second-half substitute on Saturday.
Albania will take positives from their early display last Saturday and are likely to retain the same team with Armando Broja and Nedim Bajrami expected to feature in attack.
Croatia: Livakovic, Stanisic, Sutalo, Pongracic, Gvardiol, Kovacic, Brozovic, Modric, Kramaric, Petkovic, Perisic
Albania: Strakosha, Hysaj, Djimsiti, Ajeti, Mitaj, Ramadani, Asllani, Asani, Seferi, Bajrami, Broja
Anything else catch the eye?
Croatia and Albania showed little defensive solidity in their opening fixtures and both teams could be backed to score at 11/10 by Betfred. There were over 2.5 goals in both fixtures and a repeat is priced at 10/11 by Betfred, who is also offering 5/2 for over 3.5 goals.
The Croats are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered at 7/5 with Betfred.
This Euro 2024 match between Croatia and Albania will be played on Jun 19, 2024 and kick off at 14:00. Check below for our tipsters best Croatia vs Albania prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
