Croatia and Albania are set to clash in a pivotal Euro 2024 Group B encounter at the Volksparkstadion on Wednesday afternoon. Both teams are seeking their first points of the tournament, following defeats in their respective opening matches.
Croatia, making their seventh European Championship appearance, suffered a 3-0 defeat to Spain in Berlin. Despite managing 16 shots and an expected goals total of 2.38, the Croatians failed to score, with Bruno Petkovic missing a crucial penalty.
Head coach Zlatko Dalic is likely to make several changes, potentially bringing back Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol and left-back Borna Sosa. Veteran midfielder Luka Modric is expected to play a central role again.
In contrast, Albania, participating in their second European Championship, lost 2-1 to reigning champions Italy. Nedim Bajrami scored the quickest goal in European Championship history just 23 seconds into the match.
Despite this early lead, Albania conceded twice by the 16th minute and narrowly missed a late equalizer. The loss ended a seven-game unbeaten streak for coach Sylvinho’s side.
With their final group matches against Italy and Spain looming, both Croatia and Albania understand the high stakes of Wednesday’s game.
Croatia has not lost consecutive games at the same finals since Euro 1996 and will aim to leverage their experience to secure a win. Albania, though committed, faces a significant challenge to avoid an early exit.
Prediction: Croatia 2-1 Albania.
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