The second round of group games kicks off tomorrow, starting with two teams aiming to rebound after first-round losses. Read on for our Croatia vs. Albania predictions.
Croatia vs. Albania prediction
For the Croatia vs Albania match prediction, we believe the final score will be 2-0 in favor of Croatia based on our analysis.
Sure, the Croatians lost last time out, but they created plenty of chances and were a bit unlucky against a highly efficient Spanish team. The Albanians, despite scoring early, struggled to really challenge Italy, so don’t be surprised if they once again fall short against a highly experienced tournament team.
See below for our Croatia vs. Albania predictions, with detailed analysis provided later in the article:
Ante Budimir to Score @ +225 with bet365
Croatia -1 Handicap @ +130 with bet365
Croatia vs. Albania betting odds
Croatia vs. Albania head-to-head statistics
Having never previously met, at major tournaments or otherwise, this will be the first-ever meeting between Croatia and Albania.
Croatia vs. Albania preview
This match will be played on 06/19/2024 at Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. Kickoff is at 9:00 AM EST.
In recent years, the Croatians have shown themselves to the wider soccer audience as a high-performance nation, there can be no denying that.
Captained by the ever-present and unbelievably gifted Luka Modric, in the last 12-15 years, the Croatians have been a constant presence at major tournaments, with their golden year coming in 2018 when they reached the World Cup final.
Four years later in Qatar, they were at it again on the biggest stage, reaching the semi-final of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Now at the Euros, with much the same squad, plus a few new additions, Zlatko Dalić’s men will be looking to once again go deep into the tournament.
Sure, they came unstuck against a clinical Spain side during the first round of group games, but we shouldn’t be too fooled by the scoreline there.
In terms of what was created in the game, the Croatians very much held their own, so much so that they could (and probably should) have scored a couple of goals.
Against the Albanians here, you can expect to see a much more dominant side, one that has the tools to do lots of damage.
As far as the Albanians are concerned, making any significant headway in Germany was always going to be a big ask.
Thanks to a very early strike from Nedim Bajhrami, who is now the proud owner of the fastest ever goal scored at the European Championships, Albanian fans enjoyed a precious moment against the Italians, but the early promise quickly faded.
A quick glance at the result (2-1 to Italy) tells us that maybe this Albania team can cut it against the big teams, but besides scoring early, they did very little in that game and were beaten in all areas. It could’ve easily been 4-1 or 5-1.
Croatia vs. Albania betting picks
Ahead of this game, two bets stand out to my eyes, both of which may just offer a bit of value at the early prices. Here they are:
Ante Budimir to Score
I was on Budimir to score ahead of Croatia’s first game against Spain, and at better odds too.
He didn’t score, though I’m not going to be too quick to give up on the big target man. I was far from discouraged by his efforts in that game. The Osasuna forward got into some good positions, which tells me that his goal at this competition probably isn’t far away.
After all, as I said prior to that Group B opener, this is a man who is absolutely no stranger to scoring goals, notching an average of 0.63 goals per 90 minutes in the Spanish top division last season, while he should have a much easier time bullying his opponents against this Albania side.
Croatia -1 Handicap
I think this is a rather sizable opportunity for the Croatians to bounce back and do so in style, scoring plenty of goals in the process, and I’m not quite sure that the early odds reflect that accurately enough.
The Albanians lost by the narrowest of margins against Italy, but they could very easily have conceded four goals in that first half, while they looked very easy to get at from set pieces.
It’s also not like they created much, scoring early, sure, but they struggled to create for much of the contest, posting a weak xG total of 0.38. That really doesn’t scream offensive quality.
Moreover, the Croatians, despite not scoring against Spain, produced an encouraging expected-goals total of 2.27.
Prior to the tournament, we saw Dalić’s men hurt weak opposition, scoring three against North Macedonia and four against Egypt.
The Croatians also have the ability to keep things tight against limited opposition, as we saw when they won 3-0 against the Macedonians, while they kept clean sheets in qualifying both home and away against Armenia and Latvia, beating Turkey by two goals to nil back in 2023 also.
Ultimately, we shouldn’t be fooled by that opening-round result against the Spanish. The Croatians have more than enough quality to comfortably make amends here, a bit more than the early odds suggest.
Recap - Croatia vs. Albania betting picks
To confirm, the recommended bets ahead of Croatia vs. Albania are:
Ante Budimir to Score @ +225 with bet365
Croatia -1 Handicap @ +130 with bet365
