UEFA Euro 2024: Group B Preview

It is almost time for the 2024 European Championships to kick off, as the country of Germany is waiting to host for the second time as a country (West Germany hosted in 1988). Since the tournament officially kicks off on June 14th, it is time to go through each group and preview each team looking to take a trophy back to their country at Euro 2024

Group B is the group that is seen as the Group of Death for Euro 2024, as it will see Spain, Italy, Croatia, and Albania face off. Spain (8), Italy (9), and Croatia (10) are all in the top 10 of the FIFA Men’s International Rankings, and it will be a fight to see who is the winner of the group. The top two nations in the group will advance to the Round of 16, along with the top four third-place teams from each group. Let’s take a look at Group B and their upcoming matches.

Euro 2024: Group B

Recent History

Albania is an international team that has just started to become more relevant in the men’s world, with the 2016 European Championship being their debut at a men’s international tournament. They have been back and forth since debuting for that tournament, but are finally back in the international tournament stage of Euro 2024.

In the 2016 Euros, Albania was able to get their first win in a major tournament, as they defeated Romania by a score of 1-0. But even with the win, Albania finished last in all the third-placed teams and was eliminated in the group stage due to it.

Tactical Outlook

Albania was placed in the group of death for the Euros, but they are a nation that has been on the rise under manager Sylvinho, who joined in January of 2023. Since taking over the European side, Sylvinho has led them to a 7-3-3 record in 13 matches played. The Brazilian manager has been a promising sight for Albanian supporters so far throughout his tenure. But they are in a tough group, so how will Sylvinho work with his squad tactic-wise?

Albania will most likely play in a 4-3-3 formation with one of the midfielders playing more forward as a central attacking mid. The two wingers play a little more back with the CAM to provide some stability in the midfield. When attacking, this Albania side loves to play through the wings and cuts the ball into their strikers and forwards in the box. Their defense is the strength of the team, and they will look to continue that

Strengths and Weaknesses

Since Sylvinho joined as manager, there has been one strength for his Albanian side that has been obvious. The Albanian defense has been top-tier, only conceding more than two goals in a match once in his tenure. Led by Serie A players Elseid Hysaj and Berat Djimsiti, the Albanian defense is one that will be tough to get by in the Euros. Yes, they are playing three top ten nations in the world, but if this team can stop them from scoring loads of goals and limit their opponents, Albania could be a sneaky team to watch out for in causing an upset or two at Euro 2024.

While the Albanian defense is a strength for them, their attack can be said to be the opposite. They do have their moments and spurts where they are able to score goals, but at times the Albanian attack can be a little worrying. It seems like current Chelsea striker Armando Broja will be taking the lead at the number nine for Albania during the Euros, and he will need to be more clinical than he was during his club season. In 21 matches between Chelsea and Fulham this season, the striker was only able to score one goal, which is something that will need to be improved on if Albania wants to cause some upsets.

Euro 2024 Betting Odds

To qualify for the Knockout Round: +320
To reach the Quarterfinals: +1400
To reach the Semifinals: +6500
To reach the Final: +36000
To win Euro 2024: +43000

Recent History

Croatia has been a team that has grown on the international stage throughout the last decade, most notably going all the way to the World Cup final in 2018. Since then, they have continued to show their worth, led by midfielder Luka Modric. Croatia will look to continue this growth on the international level, as they enter the Euro 2024 looking for their first major trophy.

Croatia’s rise started during the 2016 Euros when they made it to the Round of 16 of the tournament. They would then finish as runner-ups in the 2018 World Cup, followed by a semi-final appearance in the 2020 Euros. Their last major tournament appearance was the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they finished third place overall.

Tactical Outlook

Croatia has been led by manager Zlatko Dalic since October 2017, and he has been a solid manager for the squad. Dalic has led the Croatians to a 48-15-21 record in 84 matches and has only gotten his team to play better as the years have gone on. A group featuring Italy, Spain, and a high-rising Albania could be the toughest test for Dalic in his managerial career, so it will be interesting to see how he lines up tactically. Will he continue to use the same formation that has worked for the last couple of years, or try something new?

Dalic’s usual formation with Croatia is a 4-3-3 that sees his midfield play in an upside-down triangle. Brozovic holds down the spot as a defensive midfielder, with Modric and Kovacic playing a little more forward. Croatia uses their experienced midfield to help exploit other teams, and they will continue to look to do that throughout the group stage and more if they advance in Euro 2024.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Group B is a group that has three teams in it who all realistically have a chance to win the group if things go their way. Croatia is one of those teams, and that mainly has to do with their midfield. The Croatian midfield includes players such as Luka Modric, Kovacic, and Brozovic, as well as Perisic. They are an extremely deep squad that will cause issues for any team that allows them to play the way they want.

A weakness for Croatia is their attack. Where the goals will come from is more of an unknown than a known, and for a team who is looking to show they still have, that is not a problem that they want to have. Kramaric seems to be the player getting the nod at the number nine, and he had a good season with Hoffenheim, scoring 15 goals in 30 matches. If Croatia wants to advance out of the group stage, Kramaric will have to continue his goal-scoring form and be one of the top scorers for his squad.

Euro 2024 Betting Odds

To qualify for the Knockout Round: -310
To reach the Quarterfinals: +145
To reach the Semifinals: +500
To reach the Final: +1600
To win Euro 2024: +4400

Recent History

The Italian National Team has always been one of the most decorated in the world, winning a total of four World Cups and two European Championships in their history. They were Champions of the last European Championship in 2020, proving to the world that they are still a team at the top of the world. But things changed in 2022 when the team failed to qualify for the World Cup for a second consecutive time.

Italy hired a new manager in 2023, as they brought in an Italian man, Luciano Spalletti. Fortunes have been better under Spalletti, as the manager was able to lead them to direct qualification for Euro 2024. The nation will be looking to defend their title from 2020 and look to prove that they are still a threat in world football.

Tactical Outlook

When Luciano Spalletti took over this Italian side, they were looking to rebound and remind the world who they were, especially after not qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Spalletti has a record of 6-3-1 as Italian manager so far, and he will continue to look to play impressive football during the Euro 2024.

Spalletti has used a multiple number of formations throughout his time as Italian manager, but the 3-4-2-1 seems to be the favorite for him. Italy will be able to play well defensively with their three in the back, along with their wingbacks, and will also be looking to control possession. This Italian team wants to dominate the possession in the match, as it fits right into their style of play.

Strengths and Weaknesses

When it comes to the strength of this Italian side, it has to be the defense. So far under Spalletti, Italy has conceded eight goals in ten matches, with three of them coming in a 3-1 loss to England. Spalletti has a lot of defenders to work with, and he will need to utilize them in the back three that he likes to use. Italy can keep a clean sheet, and that is a way that they will be able to get three points and fight for a chance to advance to the knockout stages of Euro 2024.

The main weakness for this Italian side will be their attack. With the formation of only using three guys up top, with two of them being midfielders, the striker will have to be the main goal scorer, or the Italians might be in trouble goal-wise. Pellegrini, Chiesa, and either Scamacca or Retegui will be important pieces for this Italian side for the Euros, but other than that, goals might be hard to come by.

Euro 2024 Betting Odds

To qualify for the Knockout Round: -800
To reach the Quarterfinals: -140
To reach the Semifinals: +270
To reach the Final: +650
To win Euro 2024: +1800

Recent History

Spain has been a team that has always been in the fight for trophies, no matter the tournament they are in. They won the World Cup in 2010, three European Championships (1964, 2008, and 2012), and have also won the UEFA Nations League in 2023. They have a squad on the younger side, who just seems to get better and better as the years go on.

In recent tournaments, Spain has had trouble reaching further than the Round of 16, losing in that round in the 2016 European Championship, as well as the 2018 and 2022 World Cup. But in the 2022 edition of the Euros, Spain was able to get all the way to the semifinals, losing to eventual champions Italy in penalty kicks.

Tactical Outlook

Spain enters the Euro 2024 as the favorite to qualify for the knockout stage from Group B, and manager Luis de la Fuente will be looking sure to make it happen. His Spanish side will look to dominate the fellow members of Group B, but how will they do that as a team?

Throughout his time as manager, Luis de la Fuente seems to run the 4-3-3 formation, and it fits his way of playing style. Spain loves to keep possession from their opponents and just dominate on that side of the pitch. Doing this will eventually tire their opponents out, which means Spain can utilize their strong attack and score goals to take over the match. With the midfield that Spain has, keeping possession is a simple game plan, but it is one that works extremely well.

Strengths and Weaknesses

As stated earlier, Spain’s strength comes from their midfield-dominating play. When you have players like Fabian Ruiz, Pedri, Rodri, Dani Olmo, and more, midfield is obviously the strength of the squad. When the Spanish midfielders play to their top level, they could be one of the teams to watch as a dark horse for Euro 2024.

When looking at Spain, there were a couple of positions that screamed weakness to me, but one stood out in particular, and that is the striker spot. Alvaro Morata will be the main number nine at the Euros for Spain, and if the country wants to compete, he will have to be putting goals in the back of the net. Morata is the type of striker who when he is on, he’s on, but when he is off, it is not good at all. It usually sees lots of missed chances, offside calls, and more. Spain will be hoping that Morata can be on his best level for the tournament if he is not, they will struggle massively.

Euro 2024 Betting Odds

To qualify for the Knockout Round: -2300
To reach the Quarterfinals: -250
To reach the Semifinals: +145
To reach the Final: +320
To win Euro 2024: +750