The Nations League Finals have yet to truly capture the imagination of the footballing public and in terms of international honours it’s a very distant third to the World Cup and European Championships but for Croatia and Spain it takes on huge importance tonight with the trophy at stake.
The Croatians have been knocking at the door in major international tournaments so a first piece of silverware would be a significant milestone for the nation that only made its modern-day international debut in 1990.
Spain, of course, have been there and done it but it’s over a decade now since their golden generation dominated the international scene.
Croatia looked to have more about them in their semi-final win over the Netherlands. After going a goal behind they bounced back to control the game, eventually running out 4-2 extra-time winners with 37-year-old Luka Modric still conducting the orchestra from the middle of the park.
Spain were deserving winners of their clash with Italy too. A late Joselu strike prevented extra-time and was no more than the Spanish deserved in a match they dominated.
Spain might be favourites at even money to win inside 90 minutes but it’s the 11/4 on Croatia that will catch punters’ eyes. The vastly experienced Croats finished a creditable third in Qatar while Spain crashed out at the last 16 stage to Morocco. There are parallels too with how the Argentina squad rallied to ensure Lionel Messi would retire from international duty as a World Cup winner, for Croatia the motivation to give the mercurial Modric a glorious send-off will be strong at De Kuip this evening.
The Spaniards find themselves in a bit of a transitional state with the likes of Gavi, Fati and Pino trying to make their mark while Carvahal, Alba, Navas, Morata, Joselu and Rodrigo are all the wrong side of 30 and Luis de la Fuente’s attempt to test those on the fringes back-fired when they were beaten by Scotland at Hampden in March.
There’s definitely a case to be made for Croatia who’ll be brimming with confidence after that string display against their Dutch hosts and 11/4 is well worth taking on.
Super Singles
- Croatia to win 11/4 Bet365
Upcoming Match Previews & Tips
- Sun 14:00 Netherlands vs Italy
- Sun 19:45 Croatia vs Spain
Racing Tips
Quinault was a 7/1 winner for Rizzel on Saturday at York, today he has picked out one selection at Chantilly for the French Oaks.
As always, let us know your best betting tips and predictions for today in the comments section below and good luck with all your bets!
The post Sunday’s Top Tips: Croatia Can Score Symbolic Success appeared first on MrFixitsTips.