Euro 2024 Group B

Spaletti and his national team members have high expectations for the Apennine Peninsula at the upcoming European Championship. 

After missing the World Cup in Qatar, Italy will try to heal the wound by defending the continental throne. It won’t be easy; there are many challengers, but the Azzurri travel to Germany in their traditionally determined spirit. The arrival of Luciano Spalletti as coach instead of Roberto Mancini in September of last year awakened optimism. If he managed to bring the title back to Naples, this success has fueled hope that he can replicate it with the national team.

The Azzurri will compete in Group B, arguably the strongest in the tournament, with Spain, Croatia, and Albania. 

In the first round, they will play against Albania, Spain, and Croatia. Before that, Spaleti will test the players in friendly matches with Turkey (June 4) and Bosnia and Herzegovina (June 9).

The Spanish football team will participate in its 12th European Championship. 

Coach Luis de la Fuente will try to win the fourth European champion’s title with a “new, younger” team, which would make them independent at the top of the eternal list of conquerors. Spain and Germany are the most successful European teams, with three titles, so these two national teams will be among the main favorites for the title. 

Spain especially remembers the period from 2008 to 2012, when they set the boundaries in world football by winning three consecutive major competitions, two of which were the European Championships. At the last EURO 2020, Spain was knocked out in the semi-finals by Italy, who celebrated after a penalty shootout and later won the competition.

There are no unknowns in the Croatian national team before the upcoming European Championship. 

Zlatko Dalic determined 26 players who will travel to Germany. Still, in addition to the first call-ups, he added nine more players who could fill the gap in case of unforeseen circumstances. So Croatia is going to this EURO with already proven forces. The list includes, of course, the midfield trio that has brought Croatia the greatest success in the national team’s history in 2018 – Modric, Kovacic, and Brozovic. At the previous Euro, the Croatians passed the group with England, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia as runners-up. Still, in the round of 16, Spain eliminated them after extra time with 5:3.

Albania’s football team has the least experience playing in major competitions of all the participants in the European Championship in Germany. 

Albanians are in the final tournament of the best national teams of the Old Continent for only the second time, and considering which group they are in, they are guided by the saying, “It is important to participate.” Albania cannot boast of a rich football history. The “red and black” only appeared at a major competition in 2016, when they qualified for the EURO, played in France. Then, as debutants, they were placed in Group A with France, Romania, and Switzerland. 

Albania ended its first participation with one victory and two defeats with a goal difference of 1:3.

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