After crowd trouble blemished the match between these two back in November at the San Siro, this game will be played behind closed doors. But Croatia have never lost a home European Championships qualifier and will be keen to preserve that immaculate record.
Viewing Details
Date: Friday, June 12
Time: 7:45 p.m. (BST), 2:45 p.m. (ET)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Watch ESPN (U.S.)
TV Info: Sky Sports Red Button (UK), ESPN2 (U.S.)
Time: 7:45 p.m. (BST), 2:45 p.m. (ET)
Live Stream: Sky Go (UK), Watch ESPN (U.S.)
TV Info: Sky Sports Red Button (UK), ESPN2 (U.S.)
Fans or otherwise, the quality of football on display makes this one a match not to be missed. Here’s all of the key details you need ahead of the game, along with a closer examination of both sides on the cusp of this crucial qualifying match.
Projected Lineups
Croatia: Subasic, Srna, Corluka, Vida, Pranjic, Olic, Brozovic, Badelj, Perisic, Rakitic, Mandzukic
Italy: Buffon, Ranocchia, Bonucci, Astori, Darmian, De Sciglio, Candreva, Marchisio, Pirlo, Immobile, Pelle
While the expansion of Euro 2016 makes it easier for teams to qualify for the major tournament in France next summer, Italy will be looking nervously over their shoulder should they fall to defeat here.
The Azzurri are just two points clear of Norway coming into this one and could easily fall behind the Scandinavians, who play Azerbaijan on Friday, after this round of fixtures. For new Italy boss Antonio Conte, that’s a situation that’d be far from ideal, and he’ll be emphasising the importance of not losing this one.
As noted by Dale Johnson of ESPN.com, there are other factors to consider, too:
It promises to be an eerie atmosphere within the stadium, and Italy will be hoping to capitalise in what will be a strange 90 minutes. But Croatia have some quality players within their ranks, even if they will be without their talismanic midfielder Luka Modric for this clash.
However, in Ivan Rakitic, the national team possesses another player making his mark at the highest possible level in club football. The Barcelona star has been central to his side’s treble success this season; Rakitic is like the understated conductor in the Blaugrana orchestra, while Lionel Messi, Neymar and Luis Suarez sharply play the aesthetic symphonies.
Whether he can perform to a comparatively high standard with Croatia without too many attacking riches in front of him remains to be seen. But with Marco Verratti missing for the visitors, as the Italian football federation announced, per Reuters (via Yahoo Sports), Rakitic will have the opportunity to take hold of the match.
A substantial core of this Italian side will be made up of Juventus players, too. So while Gianluigi Buffon, Leonardo Bonucci, Claudio Marchisio and Andrea Pirlo all had wonderful seasons, it’s going to be interesting to see how they respond to the disappointment of losing out in the Champions League final to Rakitic’s Barcelona last weekend.
Croatia relish playing against Italy, too. They’ve not lost to the Azzurri in their last seven meetings and were unlucky to only draw 1-1 when the two sides met at the San Siro in the corresponding fixture last year. Niko Kovac’s side will also be in a confident mood after smashing Norway 5-1 in Zagreb back in March.
Expect the hosts to continue these trends with a commanding display here. Italy have been a little complacent in Group H so far, and while this match should jolt them into life, they won’t have enough to get anything from this one. By contrast, expect Croatia to sail off into the distance at the top of the group.
Prediction: Croatia 2-1 Italy
(source: wwww.bleacherreport.com)