Euro 2024: Modric’s Last Stand – Can Croatia Deliver a Farewell Gift?
At 38 years old, Luka Modric has won it all with Real Madrid and is considered one of the best midfielders to ever play the game. However, he hasn´t won a major tournament with Croatia´s national team, but luckily enough for him, and us, he´s going to have one last chance in the 2024 EURO.
Croatia isn’t the online betting favorite to win Group B, in which they´ll face Spain, Italy, and Albania, but they weren´t favorites to reach the semifinals in the last two editions of the World Cup and they did.
Ready for EURO 2024! 🤩#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/Fb7WEdgJff
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) March 26, 2024
EURO 2024 Information
- Dates: June 14 – July 14
- Location: Germany (10 venues)
- Teams: 24
- Defending Champions: Italy
Can Luka Modric Lead a Star-Studded Squad to Glory? Besides Modric, Croatia´s roster also includes Dominik Livakovic, Josko Gvardiol, Josip Stanisic, Mario Pasalic and Andre Kramaric.
Livakovic was one of the best goalkeepers in the 2022 WC. In fact, if it wasn’t for Emiliano Martinez´s crucial performance in the final, he would have won the Golden Glove. Livakovic currently plays for Fenerbahce, the team with the second-best defensive record in the Turkish Super Lig.
Meanwhile, Gvardiol and Stanisic are two of the best defenders on the continent. Gvardiol has become a crucial piece of Josep Guardiola´s Manchester City. He was crucial for the Citizens to win their fourth consecutive English Premier League title. As for Stanisic, he was a key element for Bayer Leverkusen to rewrite history by winning the Bundesliga title undefeated.
Pasalic will lead the midfield alongside Modric. He helped Atalanta win the UEFA Europa League title and reach the Coppa Italia final. They defeated Leverkusen in the final of the continental tournament while keeping a clean sheet.
Finally, there´s Kramaric, who plays for Hoffenheim in the Bundesliga, a team that finished the season in seventh place. Even so, Kramaric finished as one of the league´s top scorers with 15 goals. He´s offering a +10000 price in BetUS Sportsbook to win the Player of the Tournament award, which is very tempting.
Modric is +10000 for the most assists. The EURO will probably be Modric´s last dance with the national team. He´s 38 and on the verge of signing a new contract with Real Madrid for one more year. If he wants to fight for a spot in the starting lineup, he can´t have distractions.
⚪️ Luka Modric on retirement: “I can’t say when, I have to see how I feel… but right now, I feel so good physically that I’m sure I can still play elite football”.
“Don’t look at the age, I feel great”, told Cope. pic.twitter.com/8qQMa3NsN2
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 28, 2024
What Do Recent Results Look Like?
In 2020, Croatia qualified for the EURO round of 16, where they lost 5-3 to Spain. That was a bit disappointing, but again, they were never the favorites. Regarding the European Championship, Croatia has never advanced beyond the quarterfinals.
Things have been different when it comes to the World Cup, reaching the semifinals in the last two editions. They made the final In 2018 but lost 4-2 to France. Most recently, in 2022, they lost 3-0 to Argentina in the semifinals.
On the road to the 2024 EURO, Croatia had some problems, failing to win Group D but finishing second, one point behind Turkey. No other team conceded fewer goals than them with four.
Individually, no other player scored more goals than Kramaric with four. Another reason to consider including him in your soccer picks. He was followed by Mateo Kovacic, Mario Pasalic, and Bruno Petkovic, who scored two goals each.
What About the Betting Odds?
Well, Croatia is +450 to win Group B. Spain is the clear favorite at -125, followed by Italy at +200. Regarding the title race, the Blazers are +4000, but +650 to reach the final.
According to the odds board, if the Blazers survive Group B, it´s very likely that they get eliminated in the Round of 16. That scenario is listed at even odds.
Besides Modric and Kramaric, other options for the tournament´s top scorer include Ante Budimir at +5000 and Bruno Petkovic at +6600. Budimir finished the La Liga season with 17 goals, while Petkovic finished the Croatian First League with 11 goals.
Summing up, if you were looking for an underdog to include in your soccer parlays during the best event of the summer, Croatia is one of the best options. Even if they don´t win the title, you can expect them to pull off a stunner in a game or two.
Questions Of The Day
When was the last time that Croatia reached the EURO quarterfinals?
In the 2008 edition
