Italy’s 0-1 defeat to Spain left a mark on the national team. Despite conceding only one goal, their performance fell short of expectations, with Donnarumma preventing a historic rout. Italian coach Luciano Spalletti doesn’t mince words, calling today’s match “historic”: “There are games that can influence the history of a country, and this is one of them. I will choose players who want to be here and are ready for this high-stakes match. Obviously, I didn’t like the performance against Spain; it was painful to watch. However, I hope it served as a learning experience.”
The 65-year-old coach also revealed that winger Federico Dimarco has recovered from his injury and could be an option for today’s match. Alessandro Bastoni is not afraid of the opponent: “‘Fear’ is a word I avoid in football. We saw Croatia’s game against Spain, and despite the result, they created several chances. We must respect them because they are a very experienced team,” emphasized the Inter defender.
Italy’s mission against the Croatians is simple: they must not lose! With three points, a draw guarantees 2nd place in Group B, regardless of Albania’s result, and a place in the Round of 16. In case of a loss, the Azzurri could be eliminated if Albania beats Spain, but if that doesn’t happen, they will drop to 3rd place and rely on other results to be among the best third-placed teams.
Dalic acknowledges defensive flaws
Having conceded five goals in two games, Croatia has only one point, and if they don’t win against Italy, they are out of the tournament. Croatian coach Zlatko Dalic acknowledges the weaknesses and looks back to the 2022 World Cup to explain the drop in performance: “We have conceded goals too easily. In Qatar [World Cup 2022], we conceded only one goal in the group stage. Our players are older, like Perisic, who performed very well at the World Cup. Additionally, we are playing against more competent opponents.”