Spain vs Croatia Prediction, Betting Tips & Odds - UEFA Euro 2024
| Timetable | 14:00 GMT - 15th JUNE 24 |
| Prediction | Spain to win |
| Odds | @1.70 |
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The first match of Group B, which happens to be the "Group of Death" in this year's European Championship, sees Croatia take on Spain at the Olympiastadion in Berlin on the 15th of June. This has all of the hallmarks of a very entertaining match as these are two quality international teams. In such a difficult group, it is important not to lose your opening match and leave yourself with an uphill battle to qualify for the knockout stages, but who do I think will come out on top in this match? Well, keep on reading this prediction and all will be revealed.
🏆 Spain vs Croatia: Who Will Win?
Spain have taken part in 11 European Championships to date, with the upcoming one in Germany being their 12th appearance. They have won the competition a total of three times and, to date, are the only team to have won the competition back-to-back. Spain, nowadays, it is fair to say, are not the footballing force that they were back then, but they still have plenty of quality players at their disposal such as Simon, Carvajal, Pedri, Rodri, Morata and Torres. They are the 5th favourites to win and will be confident of making it deep in the competition.
Croatia are a team that always seem to punch above their weight. They have become like the Real Madrid of the international football world in recent years as they always seem to save their best performances for the big events. They have qualified for every European Championship, apart from one, reaching the last eight in 1996 and 2008. At the previous two FIFA World Cups, Croatia finished in second and third, which highlights how they should not be underestimated anymore.
I am expecting a close match between two quality football nations, but I am going to back Spain to come out on top and get their Euro 2024 campaign off to a flier. As for the scoreline, I am going to opt for a 2-1 win for the Spanish.
My Prediction: 🏆 Spain 2 Croatia 1 ⚽
💯 Spain vs Croatia Odds
New UK betting sites and established ones will always offer a range of markets and odds for Euro 2024 matches due to the prestige of this competition, but as there are so many bookies out there you never need to settle for second best. You should sign up with the best bookies as this is how you ensure that you get the most from your hard-earned money.
Below you can find five of my favourite sports betting sites and the competitive odds that they are currently offering for three top football betting markets. If you would like to register with any of these bookmakers but want to find out a little more about them first, you can do so on our bookmaker reviews page.
🏅 Spain vs Croatia: Winner Odds
These teams have played just ten games against each other in their footballing history, and Spain are leading the way in the battle with six wins to Croatia's three. Some quick maths will tell you that there has been the one draw. This draw actually came in their last meeting, which was a 0-0 draw on the 18th of June last year. This draw will give the Croatians some hope that they can get a positive result from this match.
However, as you can see from that match winner odds in the table below, my five selected bookies do not believe that Croatia have much hope of getting anything out of this game:
| Team |  |  |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spain | 1.67 | 1.67 | 1.70 | 1.65 | 1.68 |
| Draw | 3.60 | 3.60 | 3.60 | 3.60 | 3.80 |
| Croatia | 4.95 | 4.95 | 5.25 | 4.50 | 4.75 |
⚽ Spain vs Croatia: Both Teams To Score Odds
Those who followed my English Premier League predictions will probably be aware that the bookmakers used to, more often than not, plumb for both teams to score. At some times the odds would even be laughably short, which is not really a surprise since 1246 goals were scored in 380 matches. However, when it comes to international football, this market is a little harder to predict in my opinion.
Regarding the BTTS market for this match, the bookmakers are more or less sitting on the fence. As you can see from the both teams to score odds below, they are favouring "Yes", but only ever so slightly.
| BTTS | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1.79 | 1.79 | 1.80 | 1.74 | 1.79 |
| No | 1.91 | 1.91 | 1.91 | 1.87 | 1.94 |
🥅 Spain vs Croatia: Over/Under Goals Odds
The bookmakers, like me, also think that this will be a close match and are not expecting there to be goals galore. Once more, they are pretty undecided as to whether there will be over or under 2.5 goals scored in this game. Some are slightly favouring the under market this time around though, and you can see the over/under 2.5 goals odds in the table below:
| Over/Under 2.5 Goals | | | | | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Over 2.5 | 1.86 | 1.86 | 1.90 | 1.78 | 1.84 |
| Under 2.5 | 1.83 | 1.83 | 1.85 | 1.85 | 1.91 |
✔️ Spain vs Croatia Betting Tips
In this section of my Spain vs Croatia betting guide, I am going to give you some top bits of betting advice for this game. Whether you are putting down wagers with your own money or using a free bet that you have been lucky enough to land, you should always read some expert betting tips as the extra knowledge might help you place bets that have a better chance of landing.
- Tip 1: Bet on Spain to win: These two teams will believe that they have what it takes to beat each other, and I am expecting an arm wrestle that will go back and forth. However, I feel that Spain's squad has slightly more quality in attack, and this should see them pick up a tense win and get three very important points. If you also think that Spain will go on and win this match, then you can make use of odds of 1.70 at 10Bet Sport.
- Tip 2: Bet on both teams to score: The bookmakers are unsure as to whether both teams will score in this match, but I am pretty confident that both Spain and Croatia will find the back of the net. Spain will probably have the lion's share of the possession, meaning that Croatia will need to make good use of the chances that come their way. I think they will be able to do exactly that as the likes of Modric, Perisic, and Kramaric are quality players. If you want to back BTTS, then you can find odds of 1.80 at 10Bet Sport.
- Tip 3: Add a 2x double chance to an accy: If you think Croatia might just get something out of this match, but you do not feel like backing them to win, then there is always the "Double Chance" market that allows you to bet on them to win or draw the match. While I do think Spain will nick a win, a draw would not be too surprising for me. If you want to opt for 2x, then LeoVegas Sports are currently offering odds of 1.95.
- Tip 4: Back a 2-1 win for Spain: Those of you who have read previous predictions of mine will know that the "Correct Score" market is one that I always look at since the odds are often enticing. This will be a close game, but I think Spain's attacking class will come to the fore in the end and they will find a late winner from somewhere. If you want to put money on a 2-1 Spain win, then you can find odds of 7.55 at Betiton Sport.
N.B. Gamble responsibly at all times by betting only with money that you know you can afford to lose. Never chase your losses. Set up a budget and make sure that you stick to it.
1️⃣Spain Euro Update
In the 2020 Euros, Spain made it to the semi-finals but were knocked out by Italy on penalties. Arguably, they have a better team now, so they will be expecting to make it out of the "Group of Death" and go deep in the competition. In their most recent friendlies, they drew 3-3 with Brazil and lost 1-0 to Colombia. They will not be too concerned about that defeat though as it was an experimental team that will be quite different to the one that starts against Croatia.
Spain were in a European qualifying group with Scotland, Norway, Georgia, and Cyprus and they finished at the top of the group with 21 points from a possible 24. During these eight matches, they averaged 3.12 goals and conceded just 0.63 goals per match. Their only defeat came at the hands of Scotland, but they brushed that defeat aside and ended up qualifying with ease as group winners. Below you can see their last five match results:
| Last 5 Matches | |
|---|---|
| Spain3 Brazil3 | 26.03.24 International Friendly |
| Spain0 Colombia0 | 22.03.24 International Friendly |
| Spain3 Georgia1 | 19.11.24 UEFA EURO Qualifiers |
| Cyprus1 Spain3 | 16.11.24 UEFA Euro Qualifiers |
| Norway0 Spain1 | 15.10.24 UEFA Euro Qualifiers |
I would usually, at this point, tell you the Spanish players that will not be available to play because of injuries or suspensions, but there is obviously no need for to do that yet.
2️⃣Croatia Euro Update
Croatia is a small Balkan country with a population of just under four million, but this has not stopped them from creating a plethora of talented footballers. Whenever a nation is coming up against Croatia, they know that there will be a number of talented players that they will have to keep a close eye on. In their most recent friendlies, the Croats took on Tunisia and Egypt - they beat Tunisia on penalties after a 0-0 draw and beat Egypt 4-2.
Croatia was in a Euro 2024 qualifying group with Turkey, Wales, Armenia, and Latvia, and they finished in second place, one point behind the Turks. They showed us their defensive capabilities in this group by conceding just four goals in their eight matches. Out of all the groups, only France (3) and Portugal (2) conceded fewer. Below are their previous five results:
| Last 5 Matches | |
|---|---|
| Egypt2 Croatia0 | 26.03.24 International Friendly |
| Tunisia0 Croatia0 | 23.03.24 International Friendly |
| Croatia1 Armenia0 | 21.11.23 UEFA EURO Qualifiers |
| Latvia0 Croatia2 | 18.11.24 UEFA EURO Qualifier |
| Wales2 Croatia1 | 15.10.23 UEFA EURO Qualifier |
There are no injuries or suspensions that I need to inform you of at present.
👕 Spain vs Croatia Potential Lineups
| Pos. | Spain 4-3-3 | Croatia 4-2-3-1 | Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeeper | U. Simon | D. Livakovic | Goalkeeper |
| Right Back | D. Carvajal | B. Sosa | Left Back |
| Centre Back | R. Le Normand | J. Gvardiol | Centre Back |
| Centre Back | A. Laporte | J. Sutalo | Centre Back |
| Left Back | A. Grimaldo | J. Stanisic | Right Back |
| Centre Midfield | Gavi | L. Modric | Centre Midfield |
| Centre Midfield | Rodri | M. Brozovic | Centre Midfield |
| Centre Midfield | F. Ruiz | L. Majer | Right Wing |
| Right Wing | A. Fati | A. Kramaric | Attacking Midfield |
| Striker | A. Morata | L. Ivanusec | Left Wing |
| Left Wing | F. Torres | A. Budimir | Striker |
✒️ Sheldon Muchmore - iGaming and Sports Betting Enthusiast
This Spain vs Croatia Euro 2024 prediction was written by Sheldon Muchmore.
Sheldon is a sports tipster and casino writer from the UK who has a passion for a variety of sports, especially football, rugby, and cricket. He has been involved in the sports betting industry for many years now, and is always eager to provide successful predictions. He is also a dab hand when it comes to the iGaming sector as he has written many casino and slot game reviews.
