Quick Navigation
International football tournament returns in Europe after the UEFA Nations League last year. The UEFA Euro 2024 is all set to start this month in Germany, where 24 teams will chase for the crown. These 24 teams are divided into six groups, and each group is quite competitive. But which one is the group of death? Here, we will analyze the group of death in Euro 2024 and give you an overview of this group.
Group of Death
Group B is considered the Group of Death because of the top teams. Group B has Spain, Croatia, Italy, and Albania, making the group more competitive than others.
Three of those four teams ranked in the top ten in FIFA Rankings. Spain, Italy, and Croatia respectively ranked 8th, 9th, and 10th in the FIFA Ranking. Additionally, Spain and Croatia were the finalists of the UEFA Nations League in 2023. Croatia had a great chance to win their first-ever international trophy in the Nations League last time. But they lost the final on penalties against Spain!
Euro 2024: Group B Teams & Squads
The first match of Group B will be between the two finalists of the Nations League. Spain will take on Croatia on June 15 at Olympiastadion Berlin. Spain have an exciting squad with some brilliant young players. They announced a 29-man squad for the upcoming Euro, but three players will be cut before their first match against Croatia.
It will be the first international tournament for Lamine Yamal in Spain’s shirt. He has been one of the most exciting players for FC Barcelona this season, scoring seven goals and ten assists for the Catalan club this season. Along with Yamal, Spain have Dani Olmo, Alvaro Morata, Joselu, Ferran Torres, and more quality players in the frontline.
Barcelona’s Pedri and Man City’s Rodri will play in the heart of Spain’s defense. At the same time, they also have a stable defense built with Dani Carvajal, Aymeric Laporte, Nacho, Alex Grimaldo, Cucurella, and others.
As for Croatia, they have been brilliant in recent major international tournaments. They played the World Cup final in 2018 and Nations League final in 2023. But they have not won any international trophy yet. This Euro 2024 is a great chance for them to win a trophy. Experienced Luka Modric will lead the Croats in the Euro, while Josko Gvardiol will give them stability in defense.
Meanwhile, Italy have one of the most unluckiest teams in recent years. They had won the Euro in 2020 but failed to play in two successive FIFA World Cups in 2018 and 2022. Italy’s defense has always been very strong, and there is no exception for the upcoming Euro. Alessandro Bastoni, Matteo Darmian, Giovanni Di Lorenzo, Federico Dimarco, and Gianluca Mancini have made Italy’s defense rock solid. Meanwhile, players like Federico Chiesa, Gianluca Scamacca, and Giacomo Raspadori can destroy any team with their aggressive approach in the frontline.
On the other hand, Albania is comparatively a weaker side in Group B. With their limited experience in major international tournaments, it will be difficult to advance from this group of death. But they can be the dark horses to surprise the favorites.
