It may not have been the greatest European Championships ever played to this point, but it has certainly been a tournament that has been fun to bet on. We have seen a host of late, late goals, which have surely helped some of you cash some winning tickets. There have also been a number of surprises and disappointments, yet very few teams who have shown that they have wat it takes to win it all. The one exception may well be defending champion Spain, who have won both of their games so far, whilst also failing to concede a goal in the process. They have already booked their ticket into the knockout rounds, but they have perhaps their toughest outing of the tournament still to come when they face Croatia in Group D action on Tuesday afternoon. The betting odds should have Spain as the favorite, but you have to wonder if they will rest some players in this one, or whether they will go all out to win the group and perhaps set up an easier game in the Round of 16.
Taking a Look at the Euro 2016 Soccer Betting Odds on Croatia vs Spain
When: Tuesday, June 21 at 3 PM EST
Where: Stade de Bordeaux, Bordeaux
TV: ESPN
Euro 2016 Odds: Spain at -½EV
Why bet on Croatia?
FT: #CZE 2, #CRO 2. What a turnaround! Czech Republic come from 2 goals down to salvage a point and leave Group D wide open. #Euro2016
— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) June 17, 2016
Croatia should not have to be relying on this game to ensure passage out of the group stages, as they really should be sitting on 6 points. They started things off with a 1-0 win over Turkey, courtesy of a Luka Modric wonder goal, and then looked to be cruising with a 2-0 lead over the Czech Republic with about 10 minutes to play. The Croatians somehow allowed the Czech to score twice in the closing minutes, and now also have the possibility of fines being levied against them after their fans went a little crazy with flares in their last game. The 4 points that Croatia have should be enough to at least get them one of those best 3 rd place finisher spots, but what will their mindset be like after dropping those two points?
Why bet on Spain?
Spain have looked incredibly comfortable through their opening 2 games of the tournament, scoring 4 goals and conceding none. They started out with a 1-0 win over a Czech Republic team who looked content to sit 11 men behind the ball. They followed that up with a dominant 3-0 win over Turkey in a game that could easily have been much more lopsided. The scary thing about this Spain team is that they look as though they could step it up a gear or two at any given time. I don’t think we have seen the best of this team yet, and that should be a little concerning for the teams they will face moving forward.
Expert Betting Pick and Final Score Prediction
These two teams last hooked up at Euro 2012, and it was Spain who came away with the 1-0 win in that one. I would not be surprised to see a similar score here, although you may want to also take a look at the betting lines for a draw, as that is a result that would suit both sides quite nicely.
Croatia 0 Spain 1
