Croatia and Spain are in the UEFA Nations League finals. The two teams have been the best when needed the most, earning the spot in the final game of this year’s UNL edition. On one side is the Croatian team, who had been posting very good results in the past several, finishing second and third in the previous two World Cups. The Spaniards are on the downhill since Xavi, Iniesta, and the boys left the scene, and they desperately need this trophy to give some boost to their team and the fans.
The UEFA Nations League final is set 🔥 pic.twitter.com/xrMQbt731m
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) June 15, 2023
We will make a preview and give our pick over the following few lines, so stay tuned.
Croatia VS Spain
Croatia
Luka Modric is still one of the best playmakers in the world, and testimony to that are his performances in the national team and also, the results of this crew. Real Madrid’s playmaker bosses the midfield in the best possible way, and there weren’t too many players in the previous 10, or 15 years to do it like this.
The Croats have just one defeat in the last 16 matches, which is data worthy of mentioning. If there is a team that knows how to play to get its desired result, they are. After beating Morocco in the third-place game at the World Cup, Croats played 1-1 against Wales at home and defeated Turkey on the road, 0-2.
The most recent event was against the Netherlands in the semis of the UNL, whom they defeated 4-2 following the extra times. Even the late equalizer couldn’t disrupt the Croatian unit, which stayed firm after that shock to deliver two more hits and silence De Kuip. By the way, Croatia was down at halftime but managed to score twice quickly and take over the lead.
Spain
The Red Fury is encountering plenty of problems, with the first being poor and mediocre performances. A 2-1 win over Italy in the UNL semis can’t and won’t mask all the issues that this team has. This triumph had been only the second in the previous six events.
Spain’s record in Qatar was more than poor, with them winning just one game over Costa Rica, having a draw against Germany, and then losing to Japan and Morocco in the first round of the knockout stage. After that, Spain was better than Norway in the EURO qualifiers but lost to Scotland three days later.
They struggled a lot with finishing, and Spain’s productivity was very low over this tricky and slow period. They lack world-class strikers, like Villa or Torres, to become a top-echelon team. Also, Luis Enrique left the head coaching position following the World Cup, leaving Luis de la Fuentes as a replacement.
Head-to-Head Games
Two years ago, Spain eliminated Croatia in the quarterfinals of the EURO, beating them 5-3 after extra times and 3-3 in the regular 90 minutes. In 2018, Croatia and Spain were in the same group in the UEFA Nations League. Spain destroyed the rivals at home, 6-0, but lost to Croatia, 3-2.
Predictions
We need to say that both teams aren’t that good in defense. Over the last several games, clean sheets were rare, and obviously, the backlines haven’t been that reliable. Because of this, we pick both teams to score for tonight’s event. The odds are quite satisfying, and in our opinion, this pick has a solid value.
We wouldn’t make any predictions about the winner because the game can go either way.
Pick: Both teams to score 5/6 at BetXchange
