Croatia – Spain

Croatia will cause problems for Spain with deep defence

On Sunday 18 June, Croatia and Spain will play the final of the third leg of the Nations League. The tournament is very important for the two teams, despite its less-than-prestigious status. Spain have renewed their squad after failing at the World Cup and have started the journey with a different coach. Croatia are effectively ending an era for an age old star generation. This is a good chance to put a spectacular international spotlight. There will definitely be no problem with motivation. The Croatian team showed their strength against the Netherlands. In the match against the hosts, the Checkers did not look any weaker. Surprisingly, the older team even managed to gain an advantage in overtime. Neither was Croatia embarrassed by the visiting stadium. "The Pitmen appeared in their trademark combination, with the centre of the pitch led by the trio of Modric, Brozovic and Kovačić. In defence, Sutalo and Vida made up the new pairing. Josko Guardiola misses the final part of the tournament. It is a key loss. Also, Croatia remain without a consistent scorer. Creative midfielders create far more chances than the Checkers squeeze out in the end. Spain surprised in many ways with the freshness of their football. New coach De La Fuente did not abandon the standard three-forward scheme and an emphasis on possession. In doing so, some curious links appeared on the pitch. Rodrigo was given the defining role in the centre of the pitch, but he was paired with far from the most star player Merino. In defence, Laport and Le Norman made up a strong duo of defenders. The main focus is on attack. Here, the Red Fury lived up to their nickname against Italy one hundred per cent. Gavi, Pinault, Rodrigo and Morata all turned their opponents' heads. An absolutely deserved win for Spain. There was complete dominance from the Red Fury side on XG. Both teams approach the final with no new losses or disqualifications. There are likely to be no major changes to the line-ups. Spain are rightly singled out as favourites. The average level of the players is much higher. Plus the Croatian defence looks very weak. There are slow players in the centre, far from stars on the flanks. Spain will definitely take control of the ball. Croatia will have to work hard in defence. The recent head-to-head games between the two opponents have been remarkably productive. At the Euros, for example, Croatia scored three goals and conceded five. Prior to that, in 2018, the Checkers recorded a 3-2 victory, while in Spain, the hosts won 6-0. Now, such a scenario looks unlikely. It makes sense to imagine a relatively closed scenario in which Spain will take a long time to find their way towards goal.