The 2024 UEFA European Championship continues this morning with Spain taking on Croatia in the Group B opener. These two continental powerhouses collide in the opening game in the so-called group of death at Euro 2024.

Olympiastadion Berlin in Berlin, Germany plays host to this massive matchup. Kickoff is slated for 11 a.m. CT (6 p.m. CET) and Fox will have nationwide coverage in the United States. Let’s break down the odds.

2024 UEFA European Championship preview: Spain vs. Croatia odds, prediction, best bet

Spain is perhaps the hottest team in Europe heading into this tournament. Luis de la Fuente’s squad has played 12 games in the last 12 months, and it has lost just once. La Roja have won nine of those contests and their lone draws came against quality opposition in Brazil and Croatia, the latter of which Spain won on penalties.

Croatia is also in great form coming into Euro 2024. The Vatreni have lost twice (Turkey and Wales) in their last 12. Zlatko Dalic’s squad also went to penalty kicks in its two draws, splitting the results with an aforementioned defeat to Spain and a win over Tunisia. Victories over Egypt, Netherlands and Portugal during that span have Croatia feeling confident ahead of this morning’s kickoff.

Let’s take a closer look at the odds and trends ahead of this highly anticipated UEFA European Championship clash:

Spain vs. Croatia

Time/TV: Saturday, June 15 at 11 a.m. CT (Fox)

Location: Olympiastadion Berlin in Berlin, Germany

Moneyline: Spain -110 | Draw +240 | Croatia +330

Analysis: The late 2010s saw Spain — who was on top of the sport following wins at the 2008 Euros, 2010 World Cup and 2012 Euros — take a step down. Early Euro and World Cup exits for La Roja from 2014 to 2020 left a gap atop the European game.

Enter the Croatian golden generation.

Croatia — led by Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Ivan Perisic and others — finished second and third respectively in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. The Vatreni have become a force to be reckoned with in the European game. However, the elephant in the room is that the golden generation is aging.

The aforementioned players are 38, 31 and 35 respectively. Thus, this could be Croatia’s final serious shot at silverware until the transition to a younger generation is complete.

Young stars such as Josko Gvardiol already have huge parts to play in Dalic’s starting XI though. The Manchester City centerback established himself as a rising star at the 2022 World Cup. The Vatreni managed to hold Spain scoreless during their last meeting and that was without their anchor at the back.

These are two of the most technically gifted and tactically sound teams in the tournament. Their odds to win Euro 2024 (+800 for Spain, +3600 for Croatia) reflect this reality.

La Roja and the Vatreni have superb midfields and stubborn defenses. Between them, they’ve allowed more than two goals just once (Spain’s 3-3 draw with Brazil) in the last 24 matches. Thus, the key will be the attacks.

Spain has too many weapons to be held down for too long. De la Fuente is two deep at all three forward positions with Joselu, Alvaro Morata, Mikel Oyarzabal, Ayoze Perez, Ferran Torres and Nico Williams at his disposal. Oh, and did I mention 16-year-old Lamine Yamal, who will play a big role at Euro 2024?

There isn’t much to separate these two sides overall, but La Roja’s attack features younger and more versatile attackers. The reliability of their forwards will be the difference in this contest after they found the back of the net five times in each of their last two tune-up matches.

Prediction: Spain 2-1 Croatia

Best bet: Spain moneyline (-110 at FanDuel Sportsbook)