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Without a goal of his own at this EM: The Spaniard Gerard
Photo: JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
The knockout round at the European Football Championship is underway.
Would you like to refresh your knowledge of the top 16 teams in the tournament before the round of 16 starts?
The most important information about the match between Croatia and Spain on Monday (6 p.m., TV: ZDF, stream: MagentaTV, live ticker: SPIEGEL.de) can be found here.
What are the chances of the Croatians?
With a 3-1 win over Scotland, Croatia managed to make it into the last sixteen on the last day of the group.
However, coach Zlatko Dalić will not be completely satisfied with the preliminary round: Six different players have already started in the offensive row of three, and the right team is still being worked on.
The runner-up world champion has a lot of options - but currently the team does not seem to be a candidate for the title in any combination.
Croatia travels to Copenhagen as an outsider.
Which player will be important?
At least the Croatian midfield continues to shine.
In addition to the veteran Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić will come up against the Spaniards: The Croatians' second eighth is considered one of the best players when it comes to freeing himself from pressure situations through play.
In order not to drown in the Spanish counter-pressing after winning the ball, but to be able to set your own counterattacks, it will need a good performance from Kovačić.
What else is there to know?
No team in the round of 16 likes to shoot from beyond the penalty area as the Croatians, 53 percent of the deals came from a distance - such as Modrić's remarkable goal against Scotland when the old star scored from outside the box.
By way of comparison: The Spaniards only shoot 27 percent from long-range shots.
What are the chances of the Spaniards?
After two draws from the first two group games, the Spaniards were almost eliminated.
Then captain Sergio Busquets returned to the team after a corona infection - and with the man from FC Barcelona, joy in playing and accuracy: In the last group game, the Spaniards shot Slovakia 5-0.
Depending on how chances are exploited, the Spaniards can be trusted to win the European Championship - or to stumble early.
Which player will be important?
The man who represents Spain's two faces like no other is Álvaro Morata.
He missed a great chance against Sweden.
He scored against Poland, but put a penalty margin next to the goal after strike partner Gerard Moreno failed from the point.
Against Slovakia, he missed a penalty himself - and was still a gap opener for his teammates due to his running paths and his movements from the center of the storm.
For the fans, the 28-year-old is an attractive figure, the striker recently even reported on threats against his family.
Against Croatia, Morata has another chance to silence the critics.
What else is there to know?
The fact that the Spaniards play the most short passes, have the most possession of the ball - these are football clichés that seem so universal that they no longer come as a surprise. But to have the ball so often, you have to win it reliably: On average, the Spaniards only allow eight opposing passes in a row before the Selección intervenes. No team in the tournament is better in this regard. In comparison, the Croatians leave the opponent more than twice as much peace and only disturb after 16.4 passes.