The two teams have the luxury of sitting at the top of the table on four points each, knowing a victory or even a high-scoring draw will book a coveted spot in the knockout round.
Croatia and Spain lead Group C going into their final clash, but neither are assured of a place in the quarter-finals just yet.
After coming from behind to earn a 1-1 draw with Italy, coach Slaven Bilic may stick with the tactical adjustment of switching from a 4-4-2 formation to a 4-2-3-1, which allowed his side to score the crucial equaliser. Playmaker Luka Modric was pushed further up field and goalscorer Mario Mandzukic off to the right of the attack in a move that paid second-half dividends on Thursday.
However, Everton striker Nikica Jelavic missed training on Saturday with a fever, although he is still expected to recover in time to lead the line against the champions at the PGE Arena Gdansk.
The Spanish were in fine form last time out, humiliating Republic of Ireland 4-0 and are likely to make do with an identical starting XI, but coach Vicente del Bosque will be wary of the fact that Xabi Alonso, Alvaro Arbeloa and Fernando Torres are on yellow cards and could miss the last-eight clash – assuming Spain qualify – if they pick up another booking.
The former Real Madrid boss has hinted that Cesc Fabregas, despite scoring in both games at the finals thus far, is likely to find himself on the bench. Meanwhile, attackers Juan Mata and Fernando Llorente will be hoping to earn their first minutes on the pitch at Euro 2012 at some point in the match even if it is in the form of a substitute appearance.
DID YOU KNOW ?
- Croatia and Del Bosque’s side can both guarantee their place in the quarter-finals with a draw of 2-2 or higher.
- Bilic’s have never faced Spain in a competitive match. All four of the meetings between the two sides have been friendlies, with their only victory coming via a 2-0 triumph back in 1994. Croatia’s overall record against Spain is W1, D1, L2.
- Striker Mario Mandzukic has been clinical at Euro 2012, scoring three times from four attempts on goal.
- Croatia have not lost any of their last six matches at the European Championship, being ousted only via a penalty shootout by Turkey in 2008.
- Spain set a new record with 860 passes at the tournament during their 4-0 win over Ireland, beating the previous landmark of 778.
- Xavi set a new individual record himself in the competition by attempting 136 passes against the Boys in Green, beating Ronald Koeman’s total of 117 from a Euro 1992 clash versus Denmark.
- The champions have only conceded one goal in their last six matches at major international tournaments.
- Fernando Torres’ double in the victory over Ireland took him to 30 international goals, making him the country’s third all-time top scorer behind only Raul and David Villa.
