Croatia and Albania meet on Wednesday, and both will be looking to get off the mark in Group B with both teams losing their opening game of Euro 2024.
After setting a quickfire record against Italy on Saturday, Albania know they cannot start slowly against Croatia in midweek.
We’ve looked at some of the best football betting offers, odds and markets from our range of football betting sites to provide you with Croatia v Albania betting tips.
Croatia v Albania Betting Tips
Croatia v Albania Odds
- Croatia to win odds - 4/9
- Draw odds - 100/30
- Albania to win odds - 7/1
Odds courtesy of Betfred, correct at the time of publication
Croatia v Albania Match Preview
Wasting No Time
At the start of every international tournament that sees Croatia as a qualifier, there is always one question surrounding the Balkan nation. Do they have the legs in midfield? A statement posed by many before Saturday’s clash with Spain. By the end of it, everyone had their answer.
A torturous first 45 minutes for those in the middle of the Croatian field meant La Rioja had surged into a 3-0 lead and although Zlatko Dalić's men showed more collective fight after the break, the damage in their opening tournament encounter was done.
The damage done; the question answered. That time around, Croatia did not have the legs in midfield and if they cannot find them against Albania on Wednesday, their hopes of even reaching the Round of 16 will have taken a near-fatal blow.
Then again, all is not lost after suffering a first loss in Germany and although the profile of Group B is a rather tortuous one for these two teams, both they and Albania know that victory in Hamburg will boost their hopes of qualifying for the knockout phase.
If four points is the marker that needs to be reached, a win for either would give them a chance of finding that extra point. At the same time, the following fixture for Croatia and Albania is Italy and Spain respectively.
Therefore, it might have to be a case of sneaking into the knockout phase with one single group stage win. It has been achieved in the past; it may need a combination of factors to do so again – a lot will depend on the outcome of this upcoming clash in northern Germany.
A lot will also depend on the aptitude of the Albanian’s and after Sylvinho’s side did not even give armchair viewers the chance to get comfortable on Saturday, Nedem Bajrami’s strike within 30 seconds would make things rather awkward for their Italian counterparts.
In the first minute of the game, one of the biggest shocks in European Championship history was very much on. Unfortunately, Barjami’s stunner only served to wake up the holders and within the space of 15 minutes, normality was then restored.
Lively when in the game but regressed when behind is the best assessment of how Albania played on Saturday and now that they have had their moment in the sun, they will look to bring the heat at the expense of their Croatian counterparts.
But now it is time for the first of my two tips, and you would like to think that Croatia cannot play that bad for two games in succession. Therefore, I am backing them to finally get off the mark with a win. However, I am backing the half-time draw as well and this outcome is priced at odds of 10/3.
In addition to this, I am going to back a second-half flurry of goals on the basis of a first-half draw. Therefore, I am also going to add a 2-1 Croatia full-time win to the betting slip – this also gives me slight leeway if there is a leader at the break and this score is priced at 8/1.
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