Croatia vs Albania Euro 2024 Prediction: Could knockout stage qualification be secured? | OneFootball

The second round of Euro 2024 group stage fixtures gets underway with Croatia and Albania both looking to take a step to qualification.

The first round of Euro 2024 group stage fixtures nears its close as Turkey take on tournament debutants Georgia.

Croatia vs Albania Euro 2024 Prediction: Could knockout stage qualification be secured?

Croatia vs Albania Latest Prediction

As this is both teams’ second match, there is a chance that qualification could be on the line. However, both Croatia and Albania do have tricky opening matches.

Even if Croatia do enter this game off the back of a negative result against Spain, they will be fancied to get the job done second time around. Albania are definitely the minnows of the group, not to disrespect the Eagles, but it’s a tall order with Spain and Italy also involved. And Albania are in a poor run of scoring form at the moment, which they’ll be hoping they can get over before the tournament starts.

We’ll also have more tips here closer to the time so make sure you check back closer to kick off for all of our best tips and predictions.

Croatia and Albania meet in the first game of the second round of Euro 2024 group stage fixtures on June 19 at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg.

Croatia booked their spot at Euro 2024 with a second-placed finish in their qualifying group, finishing just one point behind Turkey and four ahead of Wales. They matched Turkey for five wins but did drop points with a draw and defeat against Wales and another loss to Turkey. But they did end the group with back-to-back wins and have beaten Tunisia and Egypt in the inaugural FIFA Series since.

Albania, meanwhile, were the shock winners of Group F. They finished level on points with Czech Republic but were placed top owing to a better head-to-head record. Albania won four of their eight games, with three draws and just one defeat, losing to Poland in Warsaw in what was their first match of the group. But it hasn’t been a good start to 2024 with Albania suffering defeats in friendlies to Chile and Sweden.

Croatia Latest Team News

We aren’t expecting any surprises when it comes to Croatia’s team. Zlatko Dalic has heavily favoured a midfield three and it’s there that he can put some of his best players. Providing there are no injuries, you’d expect Luke Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic to form Croatia’s midfield.

At the back, Josko Gvardiol has been thriving for Manchester City as a left-back, but Dalic will likely deploy him in central defence, as Croatia already have Borna Sosa to cover that flank. Josip Sutalo will also be among the defence, the likely partner for Gvardiol.

Up front things are interesting, with Ante Budimir leading the way to spearhead the attack. But Croatia do have others to fit in such as Andrej Kramaric, who can lead the line but also provide good support from a slightly deeper start.

Albania Latest Team News

The biggest question for some fans when it comes to Albania will be who starts up front. Premier League eyes will be drawn directly to Armando Broja, but there is a lot of competition and at a major tournament, the experience of Sokol Cikalleshi may see him start.

Albania’s defence is a lot more certain. Berat Djimsiti and Enea Mihaj are the go-to central defenders with Elseid Hisaj and Mario Mitaj flanking them, while Etrit Berisha is expected to be in goal. But the midfield is a bit more interesting.

There are a few ways to make up the Albania midfield, be it with three central midfielders and two wingers, or a double pivot and three more attacking midfielders. Regardless of the formation, Ylber Ramadani and Kristian Asllani seem to be the shoo-ins at the base of the midfield, while Jasir Asani and Taulant Seferi are favoured on the flanks.

Croatia vs Albania Head to Head

This will be the first-ever meeting between these two nations.

How to watch Croatia vs Albania Live

The second round of Group B begins as Croatia take on Albania, with the game set to be broadcast live on ITV1 or STV, as well as online via ITVX and the STV Player.

Every game at Euro 2024 will be shown live on either BBC or ITV, with the two platforms sharing the broadcast rights.