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Euro 2024 is now fast approaching, with Germany playing hosts to the latest edition of the European Championship as 24 teams look to lift the famous Henri Delaunay trophy.
Despite an expanded modern tournament these days, the group stages still throw up big meetings from the continent’s best – and this year’s finals, which kick off on Friday 14th June, is no different.
Group B is arguably the ‘group of death’, with defending champions Italy, 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia and three-time winners Spain all facing off against each other, alongside outsiders Albania.
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Euro 2024 Complete Guide: Dates, location, table, fixtures, stadiums, odds & more
Football FanCast has put together a guide for all things Euro 2024, with venues, fixtures, tables, stadiums and more all covered here.
Euro 2024 Group B fixtures
|
Date |
Team |
vs |
Team |
Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Sat 15th June, 5pm |
Spain |
vs |
Croatia |
Olympiastadion, Berlin |
|
Sat 15th June, 8pm |
Italy |
vs |
Albania |
Signal Iduna Park, Dortmund |
|
Wed 19th June, 2pm |
Croatia |
vs |
Albania |
Volksparkstadion, Hamburg |
|
Thu 20th June, 8pm |
Spain |
vs |
Italy |
VELTINS-Arena, Gelsenkirchen |
|
Mon 24th June, 8pm |
Croatia |
vs |
Italy |
Red Bull Arena, Leipzig |
|
Mon 24th June, 8pm |
Albania |
vs |
Spain |
Merkur Spiel-Arena, Dusseldorf |
Spain
|
Manager |
Luis de la Fuente |
|---|---|
|
Captain |
Alvaro Morata |
|
FIFA ranking |
8th |
|
UEFA ranking |
6th |
|
Top scorer in qualifying |
Alvaro Morata, Joselu (4) |
|
Route to the finals |
Group A winners, 21 points |
|
Previous best |
Winners x3 (1964, 2008, 2012) |
Spain have been in fine form since the 2022 World Cup, losing just twice under new manager Luis de la Fuente. The 62-year-old has worked his way up through the national system, taking charge of Spain’s U19, U21 and U23 sides before replacing Luis Enrique at senior level.
|
Pre-tournament friendlies |
|
|---|---|
|
Wed 5th June |
Spain 5-0 Andorra |
|
Sat 8th June |
Spain 5-1 Northern Ireland |
Scotland pushed Spain for the top spot when it came to qualifying for the competition, and De la Fuente should have a mixture of experience and youth in his squad this summer. Dani Carvajal, Rodri and Alvaro Morata could be some of the more knowledgeable heads in the starting XI, while exciting youngsters Pedri, Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal may spell the future.
Since their win in 2012, Spain have struggled at the Euros by their recent high standards, being knocked out in the round of 16 in 2016 and at the semi-final stage of Euro 2020, so it could once again be time for La Roja to stage a serious push for the title.
|
Spain Euro 2024 squad |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Player |
Club |
|
Goalkeeper |
Alex Remiro |
Real Sociedad |
|
Goalkeeper |
David Raya |
Arsenal |
|
Goalkeeper |
Unai Simon |
Athletic Club |
|
Defender |
Dani Carvajal |
Real Madrid |
|
Defender |
Marc Cucurella |
Chelsea |
|
Defender |
Alex Grimaldo |
Bayer Leverkusen |
|
Defender |
Aymeric Laporte |
Al-Nassr |
|
Defender |
Robin Le Normand |
Real Sociedad |
|
Defender |
Nacho |
Real Madrid |
|
Defender |
Jesus Navas |
Sevilla |
|
Defender |
Daniel Vivian |
Athletic Club |
|
Midfielder |
Alex Baena |
Villarreal |
|
Midfielder |
Fabian Ruiz |
Paris Saint-Germain |
|
Midfielder |
Fermin Lopez |
Barcelona |
|
Midfielder |
Mikel Merino |
Real Sociedad |
|
Midfielder |
Pedri |
Barcelona |
|
Midfielder |
Rodri |
Man City |
|
Midfielder |
Martin Zubimendi |
Real Sociedad |
|
Forward |
Ayoze Perez |
Real Betis |
|
Forward |
Dani Olmo |
RB Leipzig |
|
Forward |
Ferran Torres |
Barcelona |
|
Forward |
Joselu |
Real Madrid |
|
Forward |
Alvaro Morata |
Atletico Madrid |
|
Forward |
Mikel Oyarzabal |
Real Sociedad |
|
Forward |
Nico Williams |
Athletic Club |
|
Forward |
Lamine Yamal |
Barcelona |
Croatia
|
Manager |
Zlatko Dalic |
|---|---|
|
Captain |
Luka Modric |
|
FIFA ranking |
10th |
|
UEFA ranking |
8th |
|
Top scorer in qualifying |
Andrej Kramaric (4) |
|
Route to the finals |
Group D runners-up, 16 points |
|
Previous best |
Quarter-finals x2 (1996, 2008) |
Croatia have been a threat in a number of recent major tournaments, taking on France in the 2018 World Cup final and finishing third in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. However, in the European Championship, Croatia have been knocked out in the last 16 in 2016 and 2020, so Zlatko Dalic will be hoping for a deeper run this time around.
They qualified through the group stages without needing the play-offs thanks to a bit of help from Armenia, who drew with Wales in the penultimate round of fixtures.
|
Pre-tournament friendlies |
|
|---|---|
|
Mon 3rd June |
Croatia 3-0 North Macedonia |
|
Sat 8th June |
Portugal 1-2 Croatia |
Looking ahead to the tournament, though, Croatia should once again have the experience of captain Luka Modric, while Marcelo Brozovic and Andrej Kramaric also have plenty of international caps under their belt. Some younger stars are also emerging as well, such as Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol and Dinamo Zagreb winger Martin Baturina.
Therefore, they may fancy their chances of getting out of the group again despite a tough group draw, with their recent friendly win over Portugal a reminder of what they are capable of.
|
Croatia Euro 2024 squad |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Player |
Club |
|
Goalkeeper |
Ivica Ivusic |
Pafos |
|
Goalkeeper |
Nediljko Labrovic |
Rijeka |
|
Goalkeeper |
Dominik Livakovic |
Fenerbahce |
|
Defender |
Martin Erlic |
Sassuolo |
|
Defender |
Josko Gvardiol |
Man City |
|
Defender |
Josip Juranovic |
Union Berlin |
|
Defender |
Marin Pongracic |
Lecce |
|
Defender |
Borna Sosa |
Ajax |
|
Defender |
Josip Stanisic |
Bayer Leverkusen |
|
Defender |
Josip Sutalo |
Ajax |
|
Defender |
Domagoj Vida |
AEK Athens |
|
Midfielder |
Martin Baturina |
Dinamo Zagreb |
|
Midfielder |
Marcelo Brozovic |
Al-Nassr |
|
Midfielder |
Luka Ivanusec |
Feyenoord |
|
Midfielder |
Mateo Kovacic |
Man City |
|
Midfielder |
Lovro Majer |
Wolfsburg |
|
Midfielder |
Luka Modric |
Real Madrid |
|
Midfielder |
Mario Pasalic |
Atalanta |
|
Midfielder |
Luka Sucic |
RB Salzburg |
|
Midfielder |
Nikola Vlasic |
Torino |
|
Forward |
Ante Budimir |
Osasuna |
|
Forward |
Andrej Kramaric |
Hoffenheim |
|
Forward |
Marco Pasalic |
Rijeka |
|
Forward |
Ivan Perisic |
Hajduk Split |
|
Forward |
Bruno Petkovic |
Dinamo Zagreb |
|
Forward |
Marco Pjaca |
Rijeka |
Italy
|
Manager |
Luciano Spalletti |
|---|---|
|
Captain |
Gianluigi Donnarumma |
|
FIFA ranking |
9th |
|
UEFA ranking |
7th |
|
Top scorer in qualifying |
Davide Frattesi (3) |
|
Route to the finals |
Group C runners-up, 14 points |
|
Previous best |
Winners x2 (1968, 2020) |
The defending champions left it late to book their automatic spot in the tournament through the qualifiers, finishing level on points with Ukraine after a nervy goalless draw in the final round of fixtures.
However, since lifting the trophy at Wembley with a dramatic penalty shootout victory over England, Luciano Spalletti’s side have had struggled for form, with Roberto Mancini parting ways during this period, so you could argue that they aren’t the favourites to top or even potentially qualify from Group B.
|
Pre-tournament friendlies |
|
|---|---|
|
Tue 4th June |
Italy 0-0 Turkey |
|
Sun 9th June |
Italy 1-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina |
Ranked 9th in the world, one spot above Croatia, Italy may need to rely on goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma at points. The experience of midfielder Jorginho may also come in handy, with Juventus star Federico Chiesa and Atalanta’s Gianluca Scamacca potentially leading the attack.
|
Italy Euro 2024 squad |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Player |
Club |
|
Goalkeeper |
Gianluigi Donnarumma |
Paris Saint-Germain |
|
Goalkeeper |
Alex Meret |
Napoli |
|
Goalkeeper |
Guglielmo Vicario |
Tottenham |
|
Defender |
Alessandro Bastoni |
Inter |
|
Defender |
Raoul Bellanova |
Torino |
|
Defender |
Alessandro Buongiorno |
Torino |
|
Defender |
Riccardo Calafiori |
Bologna |
|
Defender |
Andrea Cambiaso |
Juventus |
|
Defender |
Matteo Darmian |
Inter |
|
Defender |
Giovanni Di Lorenzo |
Napoli |
|
Defender |
Federico Dimarco |
Inter |
|
Defender |
Federico Gatti |
Juventus |
|
Defender |
Gianluca Mancini |
Roma |
|
Midfielder |
Nicolo Barella |
Inter |
|
Midfielder |
Bryan Cristante |
Roma |
|
Midfielder |
Nicolo Fagioli |
Juventus |
|
Midfielder |
Michael Folorunsho |
Hellas Verona |
|
Midfielder |
Davide Frattesi |
Inter |
|
Midfielder |
Jorginho |
Arsenal |
|
Midfielder |
Lorenzo Pellegrini |
Roma |
|
Forward |
Federico Chiesa |
Juventus |
|
Forward |
Stephan El Shaarawy |
Roma |
|
Forward |
Giacomo Raspadori |
Napoli |
|
Forward |
Mateo Retegui |
Genoa |
|
Forward |
Gianluca Scamacca |
Atalanta |
|
Forward |
Mattia Zaccagni |
Lazio |
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Albania
|
Manager |
Sylvinho |
|---|---|
|
Captain |
Berat Djimsiti |
|
FIFA ranking |
66th |
|
UEFA ranking |
30th |
|
Top scorer in qualifying |
Jasir Asani, Nedim Bajrami (3) |
|
Route to the finals |
Group E winners, 15 points |
|
Previous best |
Group stage (2016) |
Albania will be the big underdogs in Group B, however, they could spring a surprise after topping their qualifying group ahead of the likes of Poland and the Czech Republic.
They conceded just four times in eight games during qualifying, with former Brazil left-back Sylvinho the man in charge since 2023. He has plenty of experience to call upon at the back, with Atalanta’s Berat Djimsiti and Lazio’s Elseid Hysaj regulars in helping their country to the major tournament.
|
Pre-tournament friendlies |
|
|---|---|
|
Mon 3rd June |
Albania 3-0 Liechtenstein |
|
Fri 7th June |
Albania 3-1 Azerbaijan |
This is actually only Albania’s second-ever appearance at the European Championship, with their previous appearance in 2016 seeing them finish 3rd above Romania after a historic 1-0 win in France.
Albania will have their work cut out from the off against defending champions Italy, and it would be a major shock if they progressed to the last 16 despite their decent run of results that have got them this far.
|
Albania Euro 2024 squad |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Position |
Player |
Club |
|
Goalkeeper |
Etrit Berisha |
Empoli |
|
Goalkeeper |
Elhan Kastrati |
Cittadella |
|
Goalkeeper |
Thomas Strakosha |
Brentford |
|
Defender |
Arlind Ajeti |
CFR Cluj |
|
Defender |
Naser Aliji |
Voluntari |
|
Defender |
Ivan Balliu |
Rayo Vallecano |
|
Defender |
Berat Djimsiti |
Atalanta |
|
Defender |
Elseid Hysaj |
Lazio |
|
Defender |
Ardian Ismajli |
Empoli |
|
Defender |
Marash Kumbulla |
Sassuolo |
|
Defender |
Enea Mihaj |
Famalicao |
|
Defender |
Mario Mitaj |
Lokomotiv Moscow |
|
Midfielder |
Amir Abrashi |
Grasshoppers |
|
Midfielder |
Kristjan Asllani |
Inter |
|
Midfielder |
Nedim Bajrami |
Sassuolo |
|
Midfielder |
Medon Berisha |
Lecce |
|
Midfielder |
Klaus Gjasula |
Darmstadt |
|
Midfielder |
Qazim Laci |
Sparta Prague |
|
Midfielder |
Ernest Muci |
Besiktas |
|
Midfielder |
Ylber Ramadani |
Lecce |
|
Forward |
Jasir Asani |
Gwangju |
|
Forward |
Armando Broja |
Fulham |
|
Forward |
Mirlind Daku |
Rubin Kazan |
|
Forward |
Arber Hoxha |
Dinamo Zagreb |
|
Forward |
Rey Manaj |
Sivasspor |
|
Forward |
Taulant Seferi |
Baniyas |