Spain have finally clicked into gear after a sloppy start at Euro 2020 but will face their sternest test yet in the last 16 from Croatia, led by a sensational Luka Modric who keeps raging against the dying of the light. The champagne football certainly flowed in Spain’s 5-0 win over Slovakia as coach Luis Enrique had promised after dull draws with Sweden and Poland but his side had the luck of facing an accommodating opponent and Croatia will not be so generous. “In every sport they play, Croatians are always very competitive, they are lion-hearted and give everything for their country,” said Spain forward Dani Olmo, who spent five years at Croatia`s premier club Dinamo Zagreb.
“They really appreciate every objective they achieve. They have proven themselves in this Euros and in other tournaments, they thrive in difficult situations. There’s no favourite in this fixture, it’s anyone’s game.”
Croatia will need the 2018 Ballon d’Or winner Modric at his best, as winger Ivan Perisic was ruled out of the clash and possibly the rest of the tournament after testing positive for COVID-19 and going into a 10-day isolation. Perisic saved Croatia with his equaliser in the 1-1 draw against Czech Republic and also scored late in the 3-1 win over Scotland, set up by a deadly corner from 35-year-old Modric.
Spain’s players know Modric all too well after nine magical seasons with Real Madrid although they will not be able to count on any inside information on the midfielder as Luis Enrique decided not to include any Real players in his squad.
Olmo also said that unlike Sweden, Poland and Slovakia, Croatia are likely to come out and attack Spain and not just defend, which could play into their hands after struggling in their first two group games. Olmo, who moved from Barcelona’s academy to Dinamo in 2015 before signing for Bundesliga outfit RB Leipzig in 2020, also revealed that the Croatian federation had tried to get him to switch nationalities.
The UEFA Euro 2020 match between Croatia and Spain will be played on Monday (June 28).
The UEFA Euro 2020 match between Croatia and Spain will start at 9:30pm as per IST.
The UEFA Euro 2020 match between Croatia and Spain will be played at the Parken Stadium in Copenhagen, Denmark.
The UEFA Euro 2020 match between Croatia and Spain will be telecast on Sony Ten 2 (HD), Sony Ten 3 (HD-Hindi). Sony Six (HD) and Sony Ten 4 (HD) will have regional coverage in India.
The livestreaming of the UEFA Euro 2020 match between Croatia and Spain is available on the Sony Liv app and the website.
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