FotMob Daily Briefing: Four things to look out for on Day 2 at the Euros
The wait is over and Euro 2024 started with last night’s record breaking win for Germany. Now, In this daily feature on FotMob, which is going to run for the entirety of the tournament, here are four things you should look out for across day two of the competition as Hungary face off against Switzerland, Spain take on Croatia and Italy come up against Albania.
By Sam McGuire
Berlin awaits
The Olympiastadion in Berlin will host a total of six matches at Euro 2024 and this includes the final. The 74,475-capacity stadium, home of second tier Hertha Berlin, hosted the 2006 World Cup final and the DFB Pokal final is played there yearly.
It is an arena designed for showpiece events and it is fitting that the first game it is going to host sees one of the favourites take on one of the dark horses as Spain kick off their Euro 2024 with a match against Croatia on this afternoon.
A remarkable record
The early kick-off on Saturday sees Hungary take on Switzerland in what is the second game from Group A. With hosts Germany expected to top the group, this is an opportunity for either of these sides to position themselves favourably by getting points on the board.
At Euro 2020, Switzerland made it to the quarter-finals before losing to Spain on penalties. They did, however, to the surprise of many, knock France out in their round-of-16 clash having finished third in their group and only progressing as a result of being one of the stronger third-place finishes.
Their experience and know-how at this tournament likely gives them the edge over Hungary. But it is Hungary who have the better record in clashes between the two teams having won 30 of the 46 games. One thing to note, though, is that they have recorded just two wins in their last 10 against the Swiss.
Croatia out for revenge
Croatia don’t have the best record against Spain. Of the 10 matches between the two nations, La Roja have come out on top on six occasions. This includes a 6-0 win in 2018 and a 5-3 win in 2021.
The latter was at the delayed Euro 2020 tournament and it knocked Croatia out in the round-of-16 in extra-time. They had battled back from 3-1 down to score two in the final five minutes, only to then concede two quickfire goals in the first-half of extra-time.
Interestingly, Croatia and Spain were paired together in the same group at Euro 2016. Croatia topped the group courtesy of a 2-1 win in the final group-stage match between the two sides.
Can Italy handle the pressure?
Italy are the reigning champions but not many are backing them to retain the trophy. This is a regular occurrence though. They’re rarely fancied going into tournaments but they always seem to surprise the masses. They finished as runners-up in 2012 and then defeated England in the final in 2020.
The expectations aren’t high and yet there is an expectation that they get off to a good start here with their first match of the competition, coming this evening, against Albania.
The Eagles are making just their second appearance at the European championships but they did top their qualification group. There is the potential here for an upset.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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