HAMBURG, Germany – Croatia faces Albania on Wednesday in their second match in Group B. Both teams lost their opening matches and can´t afford another defeat if they want to keep hope alive of advancing from the group stage.
Here´s what to know according to AP:
– The two Balkan teams have never met in a competitive match before. Albania is playing in only its second European Championship after qualifying for the tournament in 2016.
– Luka Modric´s Croatia is looking to rebound from a confidence-bruising 3-0 loss to Spain in the group opener. Croatia is expected to control the game while Albania relies on its robust defense and quick counterattacks.
– Albania stunned defending champion Italy with an early goal but conceded two goals later in the game in the 2-1 loss on June 15.
– Albania faces disciplinary charges for the behavior of its fans in the first game. UEFA says that included a “provocative message” allegedly displayed by fans, the throwing of objects, use of fireworks and a field invasion by a fan near the end of the game.
– Croatia midfielder Nikola Vlasic didn’t take part in the team´s training session on Monday but is expected to be fit for Wednesday’s match. Vlasic came on as a second-half substitute against Spain.
– Albania striker Jasir Asani has an ankle injury and could be in doubt for the match. However, the Albanian Football Federation said all players took part in training on Monday.
– Both teams are treating the match as crucial for their ability to advance from the group stage.
– Croatia had 54% possession in its first match against Spain, becoming the first team to hold the ball more than Spain in a competitive match since 2008. Croatia completed 528 passes to Spain´s 392.
– Albania´s Nedim Bajrami scored against Italy after just 23 seconds, the fastest goal in the history of the European Championship.
– Croatia forward Andrej Kramaric will celebrate his 33rd birthday on the day of the match
– “For me, personally, it´s a dream come true to play in front of that many Croatian fans at a major tournament. It was beautiful. I can only promise that we´ll give our best in the next games, and fight for our country.” – Croatia midfielder Lovro Majer about the support of Croatia fans in Germany.
– “We are not going to underestimate our opponents. We are in a `group of death´ and we know it is going to be hard to go through. Croatia are a tough team but we are preparing to give it our best.” – Albania defender Mario Mitaj.
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