Spain opened as 4/9 shots to beat Croatia but are now 27/100, highlighting just how utterly woeful the Blazers were in their embarrassing 7-0 home defeat to England on Saturday.
Slaven Bilic’s side were humiliated by the Three Lions, with their defence resembling butter being carved by a knife, and that record defeat was hardly the ideal warm-up for Tuesday’s visit from the world champions.
After a deserved World Cup triumph, Spain have picked up where they left off, winning their opening three Nations League games, and it is hard to see them struggling in Split.
Croatia v Spain Tips Summary
Best Bet - Spain to win & over 3.5 goals @ 7/5
Alternative Bet - Lamine Yamal to score @ 8/11
Bet Builder - Fermin Lopez to score or assist, Mateo Kovacic to be booked, Alex Baena 1+ shots on target @ 29/4
Croatia v Spain Prediction
Best Bet: Spain to win & over 3.5 goals @ 7/5
The 7-0 loss to England will still be leaving a bitter taste in the mouths of the Croatia squad but before they have a chance to wash it out, they could be hit similarly hard by Spain.
Luis de la Fuente’s world champions have been taking no prisoners in this Nations League campaign, putting three past both England and Czechia either side of a 4-1 hammering of the Croatians, and it is hard to see them letting up now.
Even if Bilic takes Ivan Perisic out of a shaky backline, it is hard to see Croatia keeping a Spain team who have scored 24 goals in a run of 10 straight wins quiet for long.
There is hope they can repay their frustrated fans’ faith a touch, however, as Spain are yet to keep a clean sheet since lifting the World Cup, so pair a high goals tally with an away win for a solid profit.
Alternative Bet: Lamine Yamal to score @ 8/11
It is perhaps no surprise that Spain cannot stop scoring given they have the world’s best player and new Ballon d’Or favourite Lamine Yamal headlining their exceptional attack.
The Spanish superstar had a quiet World Cup by his standards but he has bounced back to life this term, warming up for this international camp with eight goals in as many games for Barcelona.
Yamal’s form has continued into the Nations League where he has netted four goals in three games, and he is a worthy favourite in the anytime-goalscorer betting.
Croatia v Spain Bet Builder Tip
Fermin Lopez to score or assist
Mateo Kovacic to be booked
Alex Baena 1+ shots on target
Pays 29/4
Yamal is not the only Barca star set to make an impact in Split, where Fermin Lopez should make the most of a rare start. Lopez has found minutes hard to come by due to Dani Olmo’s form but he is likely to play from the off on Tuesday and a player who has four goals and two assists in six La Liga games is a good bet to seize the opportunity.
Tasked with stopping him and the rest of Spain’s fantastic midfield will be Mateo Kovacic, who is in for a tough night. The Manchester City battler was booked against England and could repeat the trick when La Roja come to town.
Another Spaniard likely to make the most of his opportunity is Alex Baena. The Atletico Madrid man has fired off six shots on target in just 148 Nations League minutes and should test Croatia’s goalkeeper, just as he did in the reverse fixture.
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Key Match Stats
Spain have gone 41 games without losing in 90 minutes
Croatia have lost six of their last 10 matches
Lamine Yamal has scored 12 goals in his last 11 appearances for club or country
Croatia have gone five games without a clean sheet, conceding 15 goals in that run
All three of Spain’s Nations League matches have featured more than three goals
La Roja are unbeaten in four head-to-heads
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
