Euro 2024: Italy jostle for second spot against Croatia

Italy and Croatia will vie for the second spot in Group B at Euro 2024 when they meet for a Monday night showdown at the Red Bull Stadium in Leipzig.

Having won their first game against Albania and suffered a 1-0 loss against Spain, the Azzurri know one point is enough to secure a place in the last 16. Since a win is optional, Luciano Spaletti’s men hope Albania does not beat group winners Spain.

Croatia suffered a serious setback on Wednesday when they conceded a last-gasp goal against Albania to sit on just one point after two Group B fixtures.

They can still progress to the knockout rounds of another European Championship, provided they secure a victory against the Azurris on Monday and Albania cannot upset Spain.

However, should the Albanians win, the pair would be split using goal difference.

A defeat means the World Cup bronze medallists would suffer an early exit. – A draw and Albania avoiding defeat will see the two teams’ head-to-head record level after events at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.

Despite just getting a point from two games, Croatia have already had more shots and more attempts on target at Euro 2024 than they managed across three group games three years ago. Their undoing seems to be the aging midfield and misfiring attack that have yet to help their cause this summer.

Having reached the third posting at the 2020 World Cup,  Croatia has conceded five goals so far in Euro 2024 and faces the prospect of failing to win at a major finals for the first time since 2006

Therefore, long-serving head coach Zlatko Dalcross has a massive task on his hands, and he is left with some tough decisions to make.

Ahead of the meeting between two nations split by the Adriatic Sea in Eastern Germany,  Croatia hold the upper hand in terms of precedent.

Since gaining independence in the 1990s, they have been unbeaten in eight games against their Italian counterparts.

Italy will be meeting Croatia for the third time at a major tournament – losing 2-1 at the 2002 World Cup and playing out a stalemate at Euro 2012. They know a draw on this occasion will send them through as Group B runners-up.

The defending European champions could already have booked their place in the last 16, but suffering a 1-0 defeat to Spain last time out leaves the Azzurri in some danger of a disappointing exit.

Although only Riccardo Calafiori’s own goal separated the sides in Gelsenkirchen, La Road showed up on the day and was by far the better team in almost every metric, giving Italy several headaches.

Having lost their 10-game unbeaten streak at UEFA’s main event finally, Italy’s dreams of becoming the second country to win successive Euros are now dependent on quickly turning things around.

Luciano Spalletti’s, after attempting their fewest shots in a European Championship game to date and looking shaky at the back, have a lot to prove.

La Nazionale have never suffered defeat in two consecutive matches at the Euros, but their final group fixture needs to be more straightforward.

Avoiding defeat to Croatia is a minimum requirement for them at the moment.

If Italy lost and Albania somehow won a shocking victory against already-qualified Spain, Azzurri’s title defense would halt.