UEFA Nations League: Spain and Croatia can produce a Classic 

Spain vs Croatia

The 2023 UEFA Nations League comes to a climax in Rotterdam on Sunday when Spain and Croatia are set to battle it out for glory in the showcase final.

2021 runners up Spain qualified on Thursday night by beating Italy 2-1 while Croatia reached the final, in some style, with a 4-2 win over the highly fancied Netherlands. It promises to be a fascinating clash between two well matched nations who sit just three places apart on the World FIFA Rankings. Croatia are currently rated the seventh best team in the world with Spain sitting tenth, but the UEFA Nations League 2023 betting odds give Luis de la Fuente’s Spain a clear edge. 

Croatia head coach Zlatco Dalic has led his nation to a final and semi-final of the World Cup over the past five years and he has big game players who can cause an upset, and it all adds up to a potentially classic finale.  

Talking Points

La Roja aiming to go one better

Spain heaped more misery on Italy, who failed to qualify for the World Cup, by beating the Azzurri 2-1 in the semi-final and, having narrowly lost the 2021 Nations League final to France, La Fuente’s team is determined to win their first silverware in over a decade. Substitute Joselu stole the headlines in the win over Italy, scoring a late winner after Ciro Immobile had cancelled out Yeremy Pino’s early strike. He’d only been on the pitch five minutes when he scored his 89^th minute winner, but the 33 year old Espanyol star has made an explosive start to his belated international career, netting three times in three appearances. Joselu pounced to guide home after Rodri’s goal bound shot was deflected into his path.       

Defensive midfielder Rodri has had a career defining week, scoring the winner as Manchester City beat Inter Milan to win the Champions League and he is an influential player in this Spain team, which has a superb blend of youth and experience. Jordi Alba, Alvaro Morata and Jesus Navas have racked up over 200 caps between them while the likes of Pino, Gavi and Ansu Fati are at the start of their international journeys.  

The stage is set for more Modric Magic

He’s been one of the outstanding players of the last two decades and would get in anyone’s best 11 of the 21^st century, and Croatia’s all time greatest, Luka Modric, is still writing the headlines at the grand old age of 37. The Real Madrid ace capped off a man-of-the-match performance in Croatia’s semi-final win over the Netherlands, with a late extra-time penalty to seal the win. He had already won one spot-kick, converted by Andrej Kramaric, as the Croats outplayed a strangely disjointed Oranje side. Modric will make his 166^th appearance for his country in the Sunday final and the stage is set for him to strut his stuff yet again.

Modric is part of a commanding midfield, with Chelsea’s Mateo Kovacic and Inter Milan’s Marcelo Brozovic alongside, while Croatia have Spurs winger Ivan Perisic and Atalanta’s Mario Pasalic to stretch any opposition defence. Another player to watch is Union Berlin wingback Josip Juranovic who has a fast growing reputation as a strong defender and a dangerous attacking right back.

But in terms of goals, a lot rests on the shoulders of TSG Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramaric. 

History

Both these teams have been amongst the world’s elite over the past decade or so. Spain were World Champions in 2010 and are three times European Champions, meanwhile Croatia were World Cup runners-up in 2018 and semi-finalists in 2022.

The two nations have met nine times, Spain winning five to Croatia’s three and La Roja came out on top in the last encounter, winning a 5-3 thriller in the 2021 European Championships Round of 16. 

In terms of recent form the Croats are slightly stronger, with three wins, two draws and a single defeat in the last six games while Span have won two, drawn two and lost two.   

Here at SBOTOP we’ll be back with all the UEFA Nations League 2023 highlights on Sunday night but, in the meantime, let’s pick a winner. 

Betting Tip

With Croatia at 3.40 and the draw at 3.35 all three outcomes are well in play and, with Luka Modric in their ranks, Croatia are always in with a shout.

But I’m leaning towards Spain, who have the better balance of youth and experience, a deeper squad and, in Rodri, a man on top of his game.

 

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