Euro 2024: Day 2 Preview

Today’s schedule of games includes three matches:

• 2pm – Hungary v Switzerland on ITV
• 5pm – Spain v Croatia on ITV
• 8pm Italy v Albania on BBC BBC

Previews:

Hungary vs Switzerland: The second Group A match. Kicking off their campaign in Cologne, Hungary is tipped as dark horses, facing a solid Swiss team. The match is expected to be tightly contested with predictions leaning towards a draw.

It’s been 86 years since these teams last met at a major tournament, with Hungary winning 2-0 at the 1938 World Cup. Recent encounters have favoured Switzerland: the Swiss have won six of their last nine games against Hungary, though these countries have not faced off since the European Qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup when Switzerland prevailed 5-3 at home and 3-2 away.

Form guide
Hungary: WLWWWD
Switzerland: DWWDLD

Head to head
Hungary 30 Wins, 5 Draws, 11 Wins, 131 Goals for, 66 goals against.

The match officials for this game will come from Slovenia:-

Referee: Slavko Vinčić
Assistant referees: Tomaž Klančnik and Andraž Kovačič
Fourth official: Rade Obrenovic
Video Assistant Referee: Nejc Kajtazovic

Spain vs Croatia: The first of the Group B matches, arguably the strongest group in the competition. A clash of titans in Berlin, with Spain looking to control the game against a resilient Croatian side. Both teams boast strong lineups and the match could go either way.

Spain’s is aiming for a record-breaking fourth EURO triumph, they narrowly beat Croatia on penalties to win the Nations League last year. Luis de la Fuente’s side warmed up for this tournament with big friendly wins against Andorra and Northern Ireland. Always a force to be reckoned with, Zlatko Dalić’s Croatia will be led once again by the majestic Luka Modrić, the midfielder set to appear at his fifth EURO. The two teams have only met 10 times.

Head to Head
Spain: 5 Wins, 2 Draws, 3 Wins, 20 Goals for, 12 goals against.

Form guide
Spain: WWDLWW
Croatia: WWWDWW

The match officials for this afternoon game are from England. They are:

Referee: Michael Oliver
Assistant referees: Stuart Burt and Dan Cook
Fourth official: Anthony Taylor
Video Assistant Referee: Stuart Attwell

Italy vs Albania: The defending champions Italy face Albania in Dortmund. Italy is favoured to win, but Albania could surprise as they have become a tough team to beat recently. Predictions suggest Italy might not find it easy to score.

The sides have met four times, all since November 2014, and the Azzurri have won all those matches, scoring seven goals and conceding just one. However, with a significant proportion of Sylvinho’s squad playing in Serie A, Albania know their opponents well. This will be Albania’s second time at the Euros after making their début in 2016, Albania topped a qualifying group for a major tournament for the first time in their history. Italy finished behind England in their qualifying group.

Head to head
Italy: 4 Wins, 0, Draws, 0 Wins, 7 Goals for, 1 goal against

Form Guide
Italy: WDWWDW
Albania: WWLLDD

This evening’s match officials are from Germany and they are:-

Referee: Felix Zwayer
Assistant referees: Stefan Lupp and Marco Achmüller
Fourth official: Daniel Siebert
Video Assistant Referee: Bastian Dankert