One of the two underperformers from the group stage, Spain and Croatia, will be rewarded with a place in the last eight as they face off in Copenhagen.
Spain
Arguably fielding their weakest contingent in a long while, Spain struggled in the group stage which turned out to be a scrappy one. A relatively inexperienced defence, lack of creativity, and a lacklustre attack were all on sight. The side, however, did manage to gain serious momentum with a solid outing against Slovakia, through a 5-0 win.
Spain finished second in the group below Sweden and only had a couple of tame draws before their final match of the group,
The three-time winners of the competition had the bulk of the possession in all of their games, but their real problems lie in the final third. While they started out with a front three of Alvaro Morata and youngsters Dani Olmo and Ferran Torres, Luis Enrique could employ the use of Gerard Moreno and Pablo Sarabia for the contest following their impressive display in the final group game.
Creation of chances from the midfield heavily relies on Pedri with Sergio Busquets and Koke playing other roles in the midfield.
The manager could be tempted to field Cesar Azpilicueta as well in the right back position instead of Diego Llorente. Eric Garcia will be back to the bench to accommodate Pau Torres alongside Aymeric Laporte.
Despite the new look, defence has been the least of the problems for the Spanish unit. With 2 clean sheets and only a solitary goal conceded at the hands of Robert Lewandowski make them solid at the back.
Croatia
The runner-ups of the 2018 World Cup were far from their best in the group stages. Starting with a 1-0 loss to England, the hopes slid further following a draw against the Czech Republic. In a do-or-die contest, the nation prevailed over Scotland to secure passage with a second-place finish courtesy of goal difference.
Croatia needed its senior members to step up to avoid elimination and they duly did. Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic were on the scoresheet in the win against Scotland. However, Perisic won’t play a part in the knockout fixture after contracting coronavirus.
Ante Rebic could see himself drafted in to the playing eleven in the absence of the winger. Nikola Vlasic might have justified his spot to lead the line while the midfield trio is expected to remain the same.
Waging Odds: Spain (1.60) vs Croatia (6.50)
Spain are favourites and are priced at 1.60, meaning if you bet ₹100 on them and if they win the match, you’ll be making ₹160.
Croatia are priced at 6.50 and are the underdogs. Betting ₹100 on them will earn you ₹650 if they come out as winners.
Our prediction
A free flowing end-to-end contest is not to be expected, given that these two sides are up against each other.
The odds lead to a scrappy contest and the attacking frailities of the team leads to a low scoring contest.
Spain hold a touch of advantage over their opponents and slender 1-0 win could be on the cards, but do not rule out extra time and penalties.
Place your bets for the match here.
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