Croatia face Italy in UEFA Euro 2024 on Monday, and they will be desperate to keep their hopes of qualification to the round of 16 alive.
Croatia are coming into the game vs Italy on the back of a 2-2 draw against Albania. They were comfortably beaten by Spain before that. The Vatreni need to win here to harbour hopes of qualification.
It will be interesting to see if they can grind out a positive result against Italy here. There is no doubt that Zlatko Dalic has a quality squad, but they will have to raise their performance levels in order to head into the next round of the competition.
Meanwhile, Italy has picked up one from the first two group matches, and a draw here would be enough to send them through to the round of 16. Croatia has been quite underwhelming in the European Championships so far, and Italy will certainly fancy their chances of getting all three points. They have a quality squad and they should be able to grind out a good result.
Team News & Tactics
Croatia
The home team will be without the services of Nikola Vlasic, who has had to leave the Croatia camp because of an injury problem. Other than that, Zlatko Dalic has a fully-fit squad to choose from.
They are likely to shape up in a 4-3-3 formation, with Dominik Livakovic in goal. Josip Juranovic and Ivan Perisic will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Josip Sutalo will start alongside Josko Gvardiol in the central defensive pairing.
Luka Sucic will start as the defensive midfielder, and he will look to break up opposition attacks. Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic will add creativity and control alongside him. Ante Budimir will lead the line for Croatia vs Italy, with Lovro Majer and Andrej Kramaric on the flanks.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Livakovic; Juranovic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Perisic; Modric, Sucic, Kovacic; Majer, Budimir, Kramaric
Italy
Italy do not have any major injury problems heading into this contest, and Luciano Spalletti will be able to field a strong team here. Gianluigi Donnarumma has been excellent in the European Championships, and he will start in the goal once again.
Italy will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Croatia, with Matteo Darmian, Alessandro Bastoni, Riccardo Calafiori, and Federico Dimarco in the back four. Darmian and Dimarco will keep things compact at the back and help out in the attack as well.
Bryan Cristante and Nicolo Barella will start in the midfield pivot. They will look to add control and creativity to the side from the deep. Lorenzo Pellegrini will start as the attacking midfielder, and he will link the midfield with the attack. He will look to chip in with goals and creativity in the final third as well.
Finally, Gianluca Scamacca will lead the line for Italy vs Croatia, with Federico Chiesa and Mattia Zaccagni on the flanks. They will look to add pace, flair, and creativity from the wide areas.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Donnarumma; Darmian, Bastoni, Calafiori, Dimarco; Cristante, Barella; Chiesa, Pellegrini, Zaccagni; Scamacca
Key Stats
- Croatia have drawn their last three matches vs Italy in all competitions.
- Croatia have seen under 2.5 goals in their last four matches against Italy in all competitions.
- Croatia have won just two of their last five matches vs Italy.
- The last three meetings between these two sides have ended 1-1.
Player to Watch
Federico Chiesa
The 26-year-old Italian international has looked sharp in the European Championships so far, and he had a reasonably good club campaign with Juventus as well. He is looking to get back to his best once again, and he could cause all sorts of problems for Croatia with his movement, pace, and ability to beat defenders. Italy will look to him to create goalscoring opportunities in the final third with his ingenuity.
Prediction
Croatia 1-2 Italy
Both teams will be desperate to secure a win here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Matches between these two teams are often evenly matched, and this one is unlikely to be any different.
It will be difficult to separate the two sides here, but Italy have more quality, and they have the better team on paper as well. The Azzurri will have more belief judging by the recent performances of the two teams. They are likely to edge this one. A narrow win for Italy is on the cards.
