Croatia vs Albania Prediction & Betting Tips (19 June)

Croatia, often in the shadow of the big nations, has rarely disappointed in international competitions in recent years. Indeed, the Croatians reached the final of the last edition of the Nations League and took 3rd place in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, notably eliminating Brazil in the quarter-final. In 2018, during the World Cup in Russia, they had a remarkable performance by reaching the final against France. During the qualifiers, the Croatian team finished in second place in their group behind Turkey, despite winning against Latvia 0-2 and Armenia 1-0. In March, the 2018 world vice-champions were held by Tunisia 0-0 before dominating Egypt 2-4. At the beginning of June, they began their preparation for the Euro by beating North Macedonia 3-0, then achieving a remarkable victory against one of the favorites for the Euro, Portugal 1-2, last week. For their entry into the running for Euro 2024, Croatia faces Spain on the first day.

Albania enters the competition as an outsider, preparing for only the second time in its history at the Euro. The Albanian team made an impression during the qualifications by finishing at the top of their group ahead of teams such as the Czech Republic, Poland, Moldova and the Faroe Islands, with a record of 4 wins, 3 draws and 1 loss out of 8 matches played. Despite these performances, the Red and Black suffered defeats against Chile 0-3 and Sweden 1-0 during the international break in March. To prepare for their first appearance at the Euros, they played two teams in early June, achieving convincing victories against Liechtenstein 3-0 and Azerbaijan 3-1. The Albanian team begins the competition by facing Italy before facing Croatia.

The Croatian team is approaching the Euro with a squad that is both experienced and homogeneous, also integrating young talents. Iconic midfielder Luka Modric (Real Madrid, 175 caps, 25 goals), aged 38, should play his probable last major tournament in the colors of Croatia. As always, he will be accompanied by his compatriots Kovacic (Manchester City) and Brozovic (Al Nassr). In defense, Vida (AEK Athens, 105 caps) and Ivan Perisic (Hajduk Split, 131 caps, 33 goals) remain central figures of the team. On the offensive side, Kramaric (93 caps, 28 goals) and center forward Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb, 38 caps, 11 goals) bring their valuable experience. The Croatian next generation is well represented by emerging talents such as defender Gvardiol (Manchester City) and attacking midfielder Majer (Wolfsburg). On the other hand, some national team regulars will be missing, like defenders Caleta-Car (Lyon) and Barisic (Rangers), as well as midfielder Jakic (Augsburg) and winger Brekalo (Hadjuk Split), not selected for this competition. Albania, for Euro 2024, must deal with significant absences.

Indeed, striker Uzuni (Granada) is injured, and Cikalleshi, one of the most experienced players, retired from international football last March. In addition, defender Veseli (Karagümrük) and midfielder Bare (Espanyol) were absent from the list, not called up for the competition. Despite these defections, the Albanian team can rely on several players playing at the highest level in Serie A. We find in particular the goalkeeper Berisha (Empoli), the defenders Hysaj (Lazio), Ismajli (Empoli), Kumbulla (Sassuolo) and Djimsiti (Atalanta), as well as midfielders Berisha (Lecce), Bajrami (Sassuolo), Ramadani (Lecce) and especially Asllani (Inter). On the offensive side, talented scorer Broja is also present and could be a valuable asset for his team during the competition. Striker Manaj recently confirmed his status as the selection's top scorer by scoring his 8th goal in the Albanian jersey against Azerbaijan.