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Italy could be knocked out – a tip for one of the most important matches of the EURO 2024
After a good game and a lousy one, the defending champions can get back to winning ways against Croatia.
Although the Italian national team is on 3 points after the second round, if the Squadra Azzurra lose to the Croatians, they will be out of their own hands. But the Italian team we saw against Spain is certainly not a favourite even against Croatia.
In addition, there is the extreme scenario that if both Croatia and Albania win, the Italians are out for sure. Therefore, it is clear: the Italians need a draw o retain second place.
But the big question is which team Luciano Spalletti will send out this time, as a smooth turnaround and great defending against the Albanians was followed by a lousy 90 minutes against the Spaniards. The Chiesas could barely cross the half-court, the Azzurri were absolutely out of the game. Although it took a Calafiori own goal for La Roja to win, the Spaniards’ 20 attempts and 8 shots on target show that only one player was decent: Gianluigi Donnarumma.
As for the Croats, the formula is simple: win or almost certain elimination – with 2 points the Croats still have a mathematical chance, but not much realistic. Our neighbours couldn’t handle Albania, and in truth they didn’t play much worse football than Modric’s, showing the vulnerability of the Croats. It largely confirms what we wrote before the tournament, namely that Croatia’s attacking play is simply old and ineffective. And without a goal scored, Zlatko Dalic’s boys can probably pick up the pieces.
Although a draw is a good result for the defending champions, it would be a clear mistake to play for it. For Italy, a draw and a win would mean the same thing: second place and a round of 16 tie against Switzerland, which seems a real possibility.
The German-Hungarian “scandal ref” leads
Although neutral professional forums have tended to praise Danny Makkelie’s performance in the German-Hungarian game, Hungarians can still be annoyed by the actions of the Dutch referees. However, UEFA has made a clear statement with this refereeing decision, Makkelie would not have been awarded this knock-out derby if they had not backed him.
And since Danny is a boy, we also offer a card tip for this match. Although the Croatians are one of the most sporting teams in the tournament with 1 yellow in two games, the stakes will be heavily stacked against Petkovic here. And the Italians can defend either the draw or the slim lead at will, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see 4-5 cards from the Dutch staff.
Our other suggestion concerns the Croatian attempts on goal. They’ve had plenty of that in both games so far with the current line, and after seeing 36 shots in the two games, 13 shouldn’t be a problem now, especially against a resurgent Italian side.
