Croatia begin their second group-stage match as slight favorites to beat Czech Republic in Glasgow on Friday afternoon. Croatia (5-2-2, 4-4-1 ATS) were beaten by England in their tournament opener, which makes this one of their most important matches in Euro 2020.

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

The odds for all three results have stayed at about their Sportsbook values, which is an indicator that not much will force a change apart from injuries. Croatia opened at +100 to beat Czech Republic, and are now at +119. The draw has moved up slightly, from +230 at Sportsbook to +241 currently. Czech Republic, who opened at +280 underdogs, are now at +267 to upset Croatia.

Croatia News & Notes

It has been a quarter of a century since Croatia started the European Championship with back-to-back defeats. They will be desperate to avoid that ignominy when they face a stable Czech Republic team. They are in this position after failing to find any offensive firepower in the final third against England, which resulted in a 1-0 defeat at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Croatia are currently third in this group, which could be enough for qualification, but they will not want to leave their fate in the hands of other teams come the final matchday of the group stage. This is Croatia’s chance to start strong against a team that is ranked well below them.

Borna Barisic missed the last match due to injury and should remain unavailable even for this game. However, Dejan Lovren has received a positive diagnosis on his knee injury after an MRI scan, which might result in his direct inclusion in the starting XI on Friday. Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic should remain influential players in the middle and final third in this match. Croatia will need their creativity in order to break down a solid defensive line.

“We need a win to give us confidence. One good win with one or two goals would really open us up,” Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic said. “We will see a different Croatia against the Czech Republic compared to the one against England. Not only in approach, tactics and style, but also we will see some new players in the first XI. There will be changes.”

Czech Republic News & Notes

Czech Republic opened their Euro 2020 campaign in sprightly fashion, beating Scotland 2-0 to temporarily take the lead of Group D. Patrik Schick was too good for the Scotland defense on that day as his brace on either side of the halftime interval ensured that Czech Republic would need to be beaten well by the other members of the group.

How will Czech Republic approach this match? They know a draw could be enough to carry them into the Round of 16, so setting up with a compact defense and taking chances on the counter-attack seems the prudent strategy. However, that is unlikely because that’s just not how they prefer their soccer. Czech Republic drew with Croatia 2-2 in their previous Euro meeting in 2016.

“We are not going to speculate and play for a draw. It’s impossible to do that,” Czech Republic assistant coach Jiří Chytrý said. “We will come to the pitch determined to win. This is how we approach every game.”

There are no fresh injury concerns for Czech Republic at this point, which will keep their morale up in a crucial match. However, goalkeeper Jiri Pavlenka has been replaced in the squad by Tomas Koubek due to injury.

Betting Pick 1: Croatia +119

Croatia are one of the best teams in Europe. They haven’t quite shown their skill so far this tournament or even in the competitions that have preceded Euro 2020. However, this could be a pivotal match because a win might ensure a spot in the Round of 16 considering their final group-stage opponents are Scotland. There is plenty of offensive depth to score one goal and defend that lead.

Betting Pick 2: OVER 2.5 goals (+130)

The UNDER seems to be a highly favorable market with odds of -162. However, these are two teams desperate for points. If Croatia score, you will expect Czech Republic to go chasing the equalizer, which will result in a more open match. Historical evidence also points to a potential high-scoring Euro 2020 encounter on Friday afternoon.