Euro 2024 Group B
GROUP B
There are as many as six Group B venues: Berlin, Dortmund, Düsseldorf, Gelsenkirchen, Hamburg and Leipzig.
This group looks the strongest of them all - the holders Italy, Nations League holders Spain and 2022 World Cup semi-finalists Croatia, with second-time qualifiers Albania the expected whipping boys.
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[Team Jersey Images © Soccerphile]
Spain
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Spain Kit 1 |
Spain Kit 2 |
Spain Kit 3 |
Spain v Croatia, 15th June, Olympiastadion, Berlin
Spain v Italy, 20th June, Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen
Spain v Albania, 24th June, Düsseldorf Arena, Dusseldorf
Coach
Luis de la Fuente. The 62-year-old may lack big club experience, having begun his ascent via Spain's youth teams, but the federation wasted no time in promoting him when Luis Enrique resigned after the last World Cup. De La Fuente is very much an association coach who has guided a number of young players through the age ranks into the national team and describes his squad as a family.
The RFEF's faith has been repaid so far. The Rioja-born man has coached the U19 and U21 sides to win European Championships, the Olympic team to a silver medal in 2020 before winning the UEFA Nations League in 2023 with the senior side. So far so good.
Record
Winners 1964, 2008, 2012; Runners-up 1984, Quarter final 1996, 2000, Round of 16 2016, Group Stage 1980, 1988, 2004.
FIFA Ranking (8th) in the world, 6th in UEFA
Men to watch
Rodri The Manchester City star is the world's best in his position, an effortless defensive midfielder with precise distribution and the ability to ghost forward and find the target from 20 yards. Valued at over €100 million, he was part of De La Fuente's team which won the 2015 U-19 Euros.
Lamine Yamal Still only 16, the Barcelona winger has all the fearlessness of a young tyro - loving his football, running with energy towards goal, taking on players and the odd trick or two. This is his first tournament, which could be his best as young starlets often sadly prove.
Spain certainly have the potential to mount a serious assault on the tournament but their young guns lack experience and standout stars beyond Rodri, while Germany has home advantage and England and France have more of a cutting edge. A good bet for the quarters or semi-finals but unlikely to win the cup.
The bookies rate Spain as fifth favourite for Euro 2024 at 8/1.
How they qualified
Spain won Group A by four points with seven wins and one defeat, away to Scotland.
On the sidelines
Barcelona wunderkind Gavi, 19, has been out with an ACL tear since November last year.
Midfielders Oihan Sancet and Martín Zubimendi has been out for a month with hamstring issues, Dani Olmo and centre back Robin Le Normand are currently out with muscle pulls while veteran Jesús Navas, the last of the golden generation, has a hamstring injury.
Formation
4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1
Analysis
At their recent friendly with Colombia in London they outpassed the South Americans and weaved pretty patterns, dominating the game before succumbing to a sucker punch to lose 1-0.
For all De La Fuente's talk of evolution from the 'passenaccio' of the last two World Cups, where Spain marinated possession against Morocco with over 1,000 passes but only one shot on target before missing three penalties, La Roja still keep the ball in 2024 more than most and in Rodri they have the No.1 distributor from Qatar 2022.
That said, young wingers Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal have brought more urgency to La Roja, the team attacks via the flanks rather than tiki-taka-ing through the middle and they have abandoned the False 9 position which served them so well in their golden age from 2008-2012.
Athletic Bilbao's Unai Simón is still first choice in goal, but only Aymeric Laporte remains from the defence in Qatar. Alongside the Al-Nassr man will be another French-born centre-back, Robin Le Normand, with the rejuvenated Real Madrid veteran Dani Carvajal at right-back and Valencia's Jose Gaya or Chelsea's Marc Cucurella at left-back.
Rodri is a lock in central midfield, charged with orchestrating proceedings, but Barcelona starlet Pedri, his otherwise certain partner in the centre, may miss out through injury, which would mean PSG's Fabian Ruiz or Real Sociedad's Martin Zubimendi slotting in as a defensive midfielder, if as expected Spain play 4-2-3-1.
Sociedad's Mikel Merino would be on the right in a three-man midfield, but De La Fuente will probably field RB Leipzig's Dani Olmo in the hole with Barcelona's 16 year-old prodigy Lamine Yamal tearing down the right wing and Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams offering similar pace on the left.
Atletico Madrid's Alvaro Morata, whom De La Fuente has coached through the age ranks, will be first choice centre-forward, but Spain have other options in attack from the bench including Barcelona's Ferran Torres as well as Joselu, the 34 year-old revelation for Real Madrid this season.
Now at his tenth club, Joselu was capped for the first time aged almost 33 but has netted five in ten outings for Spain. Having been born in Stuttgart and lived for four years in Germany, he has an extra desire to do well on familiar soil.
There are still plenty of doubts about Spain, whether the manager will crack at his first big test, whether the defence can withstand the best opponents - they let in three at home to Brazil in a March friendly, and above all whether the attack has evolved the all-round armoury of a variety of approach play and set pieces needed to win tournaments.
As Qatar proved, keeping the ball alone is not enough. Rodri's move into the middle should help if he wants to replicate his form for Manchester City, as well as new personnel around him.
Because Spain have fallen so precipitously since their treble trophy roll a decade ago, La Roja are not rated potential champions, but we may have forgotten they were a shootout away from the Euro 2020 final and won the 2023 Nations League.
De La Fuente silenced the doubters by winning Spain's qualifying group and moving their FIFA ranking up to eighth in the world (sixth in Europe).
In other words, do not write off Spain at Euro 2024.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Unai Simón (Athletic Club), Álex Remiro (Real Sociedad), David Raya (Arsenal).
Defenders: Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid), Jesús Navas (Sevilla), Aymeric Laporte (Al Nassr), Nacho (Real Madrid), Robin Le Normand (Real Sociedad), Dani Vivian (Athletic Club), Alejandro Grimaldo (Bayer Leverkusen), Marc Cucurella (Chelsea).
Midfielders: Rodri (Manchester City), Martín Zubimendi (Real Sociedad), Fabián Ruiz (Paris Saint-Germain), Mikel Merino (Real Sociedad), Pedri (Barcelona), Álex Baena (Villarreal), Fermín López (Barcelona).
Strikers: Álvaro Morata (Atlético Madrid), Joselu (Real Madrid), Dani Olmo (RB Leipzig), Nico Williams (Athletic Club), Mikel Oyarzabal (Real Sociedad), Ayoze Pérez (Real Betis), Ferran Torres (Barcelona), Lamine Yamal (Barcelona).
Croatia
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Croatia Kit 1 |
Croatia Kit 2 |
Croatia Kit 3 |
Croatia v Spain, Olympiastadion, Berlin, 15th June
Croatia v Albania, Volksparkstadion. Hamburg, 19th June
Croatia v Italy, Leipzig Stadium, Leipzig, 24th June
Coach
Zlatko Dalic has been manager since 2017, taking the Croats to the 2018 World Cup final and 2022 semi final as well as the 2023 Nations League final.
Record
Quarter final 2008, 1996, Round of 16 2020, 2016, Group stage 2012, 2004
FIFA Ranking (10th) in the world, 8th in UEFA
Men to watch
Luka Modrić, 38, is arriving at his ninth major tournament and has a whopping 174 caps so will not be around forever, but he played 31 times for Real Madrid this season and remains one of the modern game's great midfielders.
Given the age factor and the group of death they find themselves in, the odds are stacked against the Croats once again. But this little nation keeps confounding the critics by overachieving on the big stage. Given they only lost the Nations League 2023 final on penalties and came third at Qatar 2022, Croatia should be a good bet for the last eight at least.
The bookies disagree, rating the chequered shirts at 40/1, ninth favourite for the trophy.
How they qualified
Croatia finished second in Group D, a point behind Turkey. They won five, drew once against Wales and lost away to Turkey and Wales.
On the sidelines
Attacking midfielder Nikola Vlašić has an adductor strain but is slated to be fit by the start of June.
Formation
4-3-2-1
Analysis
Given they have achieved miracles in the last two World Cups, it does seem odd Croatia have never made the last four of the Euros and in the last two editions exited in the Round of 16.
This year is unlikely to see them break that duck as they will bring an ageing squad in need of new blood.
That said, the veterans' cohort are still performing at top clubs and their midfield trio of Modrić (38), Mateo Kovačić (30) and Marcelo Brozović (31) have solid experience.
Of the three, Modrić remains the standard-bearer, whose skill, vision and passing remain world class and whom the other two play off, but the trio will need help from raiding full backs Borna Sosa of Ajax on the left and Union Berlin's Josip Juranović or Bayer Leverkusen's Josip Stanišić on the right.
Like Kovačić, Joško Gvardiol has been a cog in Manchester City's title success this season while talismanic attacker Ivan Perišić at the age of 35 has declared himself fit again after a knee injury, which will inspire the side.
Up front their options are slimmer however, with no natural wingers and Dinamo Zagreb's Bruno Petković or a pair of 32 year-olds - Hoffenheim's right-sided Andrej Kramarić and Osasuna's No.9 Ante Budimir, their likely marksmen. All three have a market value of only €5-6 million according to German website Transfermarkt.
What the team lacks in stars of course it makes up for in an indomitable team spirit and survival instinct, with hard running, defensive graft, disciplined positional play and dangerous crossing their weapons. Croatia do the basics as well as any team.
At the World Cup they hauled themselves to the semi finals with four draws, relying on strengths other than scoring goals, a low-scoring winning formula which they could well use again.
Another plus is the fact the coach has been in the job for seven years throughout their recent achievements and the team will have a big expat and travelling support in Germany.
This group is tough but nothing to be afraid of for such seasoned giant slayers. Presuming the big three dispatch minnows Albania, Croatia's final clash with Italy should be a tasty one.
Last summer they reached the Nations League final and only lost on penalties to Spain, a reminder following their 3rd place finish at Qatar 2022 that they are still wrongly underrated.
For a country of less than four million people, Croatia's remarkable footballing success remains hard to fathom, unless we misunderstand a team whose drive and relentless never-say-die attitude must come from somewhere deep within the national psyche.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković (Fenerbahče), Ivica Ivušić (Pafos), Nediljko Labrović (Rijeka).
Defenders: Domagoj Vida (AEK), Josip Juranović (Union Berlin), Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City), Borna Sosa (Ajax), Josip Stanišić (Bayer Leverkusen), Josip Šutalo (Ajax), Martin Erlić (Sassuolo), Marin Pongračić (Lecce).
Midfielders: - Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City), Marcelo Brozović(Al-Nassr), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta), Nikola Vlašić (Torino), Lovro Majer (Wolfsburg), Luka Ivanušec (Feyenoord), Luka Sučić (RB Salzburg), Martin Baturina (Dinamo).
Strikers: Ivan Perišić (Hajduk), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Bruno Petković (Dinamo), Marko Pjaca (Rijeka), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pašalić (Rijeka).
Italy
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Italy Kit 1 |
Italy Kit 2 |
Italy Kit 3 |
Italy v Albania, BVB Stadion Dortmund, Dortmund, 15th June
Italy v Spain, Gelsenkirchen, 20th June
Italy v Croatia, Leipzig, 24th June
Coach
Luciano Spalletti got the Azzurri job in 2023 on a sabbatical having just guided Napoli to a historic first Scudetto since 1990. A coach at eight different Italian clubs and Zenit St Petersburg, the 65-year-old is highly-rated as an intelligent man-manager.
Record
Winners 1968, 2020; Runners-Up 2000, 2012, Semi Final 1980, Quarter-Final 2008, 2016
FIFA Ranking (9th) in the world, 7th in UEFA
Men to watch
Nicolo Barella - Imperious for Inter in their title-winning campaign, the 27-year-old midfielder has emerged as Italy's best player with his inspired passing and magical ability to avoid tackles and beat opponents with his quicksilver feet.
Alessandro Bastoni - The 25-year-old wing-back enjoys getting forward and has supplied a fusillade of crosses and diagonal lances for Inter's strikers this season, redolent of Xabi Alonso's long-range passing at Liverpool. Bastoni links well for club and country with the combative Federico DiMarco, whose upfield surges and crosses makes the left side Italy's stronger.
On paper, given their tumultuous last two seasons, Italy will struggle to dismantle a better-tooled Spain and motivated Croatia and should head home after the group stage. Nevertheless, they could easily slip through to the last eight where growing confidence would bolster their goal of retaining their crown. Perhaps mindful of previous Italian conquests from initially unfavourable odds, the bookies rate them at 16/1, the fifth favourite for the tournament.
How they qualified
Italy finished second in Group C behind England, losing twice to the Three Lions and drawing away to North Macedonia and Ukraine.
On the sidelines
Flying full back Leonardo Spinazzola, one of the starts of Euro 2020, has a muscle injury, Sassuolo striker Domenico Berardi has undergone Achilles surgery and Tottenham defender Destiny Udogie is out until next season with an unnamed injury.
Formation
3-4-2-1
Analysis
Italy seem unlikely to repeat their triumph at Euro 2020, where they dazzled from the start with their attacking verve, a divergence from their tournament tradition.
Since that win at Wembley the Azzurri have slipped, missing out on a second consecutive World Cup finals and then stumbling unimpressively to Euro 2024, finishing ahead of Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta but a full six points behind England.
Roberto Mancini, the winning coach from Euro 2020, abruptly jumped ship last autumn to manage Saudi Arabia, which did not help, while Euro heroes Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Lorenzo Insigne and Marco Verratti have also exited stage left.
And yet like Germany, this year has witnessed a mini-revival for Italy and there is renewed optimism heading into the finals.
Spalletti, who took the reins last autumn, has picked up the pieces as best he could, guiding the team to the Euros with three wins, two draws and a defeat in his six qualifiers and recording friendly wins over Ecuador and Venezuela this year.
He also played 3-4-2-1 in a hasty experiment after years of using 4-3-3, showing he was not afraid of last minute changes. His Napoli scudetto means his stock is high across the country, which helps.
He has cherry picked the Italian stars from Inter's title-winning season, but big question marks remain about the Azzurri, not least in the goalscoring department.
Federico Chiesa has not fulfilled the promise he showed at Euro 2020 and a dearth of 'bombers' meant Inter midfielder Davide Frattesi, who is far from a first choice, was their top scorer in qualifying with just three.
In goal they still have the towering security of Gianluigi Donnarumma, and although the three centre backs it seems Spalletti will field - Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni and Matteo Darmian - did not play in the 2020 final, they bring an understanding from being Serie A champions.
Continuing the theme of security after the chaos, the recalled Jorginho of Arsenal should anchor the middle with his assured distribution and positional play, alongside fellow 2020 winner Nicola Barella of Inter and Spalletti's captain at Napoli, Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Like Mancini's Italy, Spalletti's Napoli played on the front foot at a high tempo and he will try to bring that positivity to the Euros. Whom he selects up front however is up in the air. The manager has spoken of several forwards getting the nod but Mateo Retegui of Genoa's brace against Venezuela in March seems to have placed him in pole position.
Roma's Stephan El Shaarawy, Napoli's Giacomo Raspadori, Atalanta's Gianluca Scamacca are also in the frame, as well as Udinese's uncapped target man Lorenzo Lucca, whom Spalletti mentioned he admired.
Lorenzo Pellegrini of Roma and Aston Villa's Nicolo Zaniolo will probably play behind the main striker and provide attacking runs, but goals could just as likely come from more Inter men in midfield - Barella, Frattesi or Federico DiMarco.
It would be foolish to write off Italy. We did in 1982 and they went on to win the World Cup. At the last Euros they dazzled and looked like the winners from the off. That could happen again if they thrash Albania in their opener.
The next two games against Spain and Croatia are stiff tests however and Spalletti's hasty ensemble will face the music in those two tests.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain), Alex Meret (Napoli), Guglielmo Vicario (Tottenham Hotspur).
Defenders: Alessandro Bastoni (Internazionale), Raoul Bellanova (Torino), Alessandro Buongiorno (Torino), Riccardo Calafiori (Bologna), Andrea Cambiaso (Juventus), Matteo Darmian (Internazionale), Giovanni Di Lorenzo (Napoli), Federico Dimarco (Internazionale), Federico Gatti (Juventus), Gianluca Mancini (AS Roma).
Midfielders: Nicolò Barella (Internazionale), Bryan Cristante (AS Roma), Nicolo Fagioli (Juventus), Michael Folorunsho (Hellas Verona), Davide Frattesi (Internazionale), Jorginho (Arsenal), Lorenzo Pellegrini (AS Roma).
Strikers: Federico Chiesa (Juventus), Stephan El Shaarawy (AS Roma), Giacomo Raspadori (Napoli), Mateo Retegui (Genoa), Gianluca Scamacca (Atalanta), Mattia Zaccagni (Lazio).
Albania
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Albania Kit 1 |
Albania Kit 2 |
Albania v Italy, Dortmund, 15th June
Albania v Croatia, Hamburg, 19th June
Albania v Spain, Dusseldorf, 24th June
Coach
The 50-year-old Sylvinho is a well-known face in Europe as a player having won the Champions League with Barcelona and enjoyed spells with Arsenal, Celta Vigo and Manchester City. A cosmopolitan career has seen him manage both Lyon and Corinthians and been assistant manager at Brazil and Internazionale.
Coach of Albania since early 2023, the Brazilian's assistant is his former Maine Road colleague and Argentine international Pablo Zabaleta.
Record
2016 First Round
FIFA Ranking (66th) in the world, 30th in UEFA
Men to watch
Armando Broja - The English-born Chelsea striker is still finding his feet via loan spells at Vitesse, Southampton and Fulham but big things are still expected of the 22-year-old. This summer he could enhance his reputation with a good showing for his adopted nation. Recovering from injury, if he has not regained match sharpness in time, his place will go to the hard-working 33-year-old Sokol Cikalleshi of Konyaspor.
Berat Djimsiti - The skipper is the heart of the defence, which is sure to be putting in a shift or two in Germany. Born in Switzerland, the 31-year-old has just won the Europa League with Atalanta, for whom he plays on the right of a back three but plays centre back in a back four for his country.
Jasir Asani - The only ever-present in qualification, the 29-year-old attacking midfielder who plays his football for Gwangju in the K-League weighed in with three goals.
Three giants in their group is too tall an order, even for a highly-motivated bunch like these. Alas for all the expats across Europe, Albania seem a dead cert to be home before the postcards. The bookies rate them in the bottom four of the 24 finalists, between 250 and 500 to 1.
How they qualified
Albania won Group E on goal difference from the Czech Republic, registering memorable wins over them, Poland, Moldova and the Faroe Islands.
On the sidelines
Veteran goalkeeper Etrit Berisha has a chest injury but is expected back in early June, while Jasir Asani is yet to reach full match fitness.
Formation
4-2-3-1
Analysis
It will be easy to dismiss Albania as plucky little underdogs enjoying the rare experience of a major finals (their only one since Euro 2016) as they take hammerings in their group games.
By rights, the 30th-ranked country in UEFA should not have qualified for the 24-team Euros, but convincing wins over the Czech Republic (3-0) and Poland (2-0) in the qualifiers justified their passage as group winners.
Sylvinho ditched the previous 4-5-1 formation in favour of a more expansive playing style, which has paid dividends. Their memorable home wins over the Czechs and the Poles in qualifying were full of confidence, pace and desire, taking the game to their more highly-rated opponents with alacrity.
This team uses fast transitions as players pile forward into attack. A danger man is Jasir Asani, who scored three in qualifying, one against Poland a spectacular missile unleashed from well outside the box. Against the Czechs he repeated the trick, cutting in from the right before pulling the trigger.
His counterpart on the other flank is Taulant Seferi, whose brace against the Czechs hinted at a higher level than the UAE's Baniyas, on loan from Ukraine's Vorskla Poltava.
These two wingers alongside joint top scorer Nedim Bajrami and Chelsea's Broja could cause a shock or two to unsuspecting defences in the summer.
How much Sylvinho will attempt this front-foot approach which worked so well in Tirana against Croatia, Italy and Spain on turf foreign remains to be seen. While parking the bus is exactly what he moved away from with impressive results, the fear of getting punished by skilful opponents will probably mean a more cautious approach to begin with, keeping their fast counter-attack at the ready.
Historic head-to-head results do not bode well - four defeats to Italy and eight to Spain. The defence arguably has not been tested by top opposition so Euro 2024 could puncture the optimistic bubble quite quickly - a 3-0 friendly loss to Chile in March followed by a 1-0 loss to Sweden seemed to have tempered frenzied expectations of an assault on the trophy.
The statistically poorest nation at the finals will nevertheless be bolstered by a huge expat following across Europe and in the stadia, wearing their distinctive white felt hats.
The clash with the Azzurri will be particularly meaningful for those living in Italy and for manager Sylvinho, the former assistant to Roberto Mancini at Inter.
The national team reflects the emigrant diaspora like no other at the finals and brings back memories of Jack Charlton's Republic of Ireland - nine of Albania's expected starting eleven were born outside the country.
At only their second finals and dropped into a frightening group, the lowly-rated Albanians are an underdog everyone should cheer for.
Squad
Goalkeepers: Etrit Barisha (Empoli), Thomas Strakosha (Brentford), Elhan Kastrati (Cittadella).
Defenders: Elseid Hysaj (Lazio), Berat Djimsiti (Atalanta), Adrian Ismajli (Empoli), Arlind Arjeti (CFR Cluj-Napoca), Marash Kumbulla (Sassuolo), Enea Mihaj (FC Famalicao), Naser Aliji (Voluntari), Iván Balliu (Rayo Vallecano), Mario Mitaj (Lokomotiv Moscow).
Midfielders: Amir Abrashi (Grasshoppers), Ylber Ramadani (Lecce), Klaus Gjasula (SV Darmstadt 98), Qazim Laci (Sparta Prague), Nedim Bajrami (Sassuolo), Kristjan Asllani (Internazionale), Ernest Muci (Besiktas), Medon Berisha (Lecce).
Strikers: Rey Manaj (Sivasspor), Armando Broja (Fulham), Taulant Seferi (Baniyas), Jasir Asani (Gwangju FC), Mirlind Daku (Rubin Kazan), Arber Hoxha (Dinamo Zagreb).
Compiled by Sean O'Conor
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