Albania Take on Group B Champions Spain
Albania vs Spain Euro Odds Favor La Roja Despite Rodri Suspension
Albania Knockout Stage Hopes Alive
Since the Euro format changed, where 16 of the 24 teams in the group stage qualify for the knockout stage, it usually takes four points to advance. To keep their knockout stage hopes alive, Group B underdogs Albania take on group winners Spain on Monday.
Spain have already clinched first place in the group and Luis de la Fuente can rotate his squad. Plus, Spain’s Rodri is suspended, which Albania will see as an opportunity to come away with a historic victory.
Ahead of this intriguing Group B closer, we’ll cover the Albania vs Spain Euro odds.
Albania vs Spain
Date & Time: Monday, June 24th, 3:00 p.m. ET
Location: Merkur-Spiel Arena, Dusseldorf, Germany
Albania vs Spain Head-to-Head
While this is the first chance to bet on Albania vs Spain Euro odds, Albania have never beaten Spain in eight tries. Spain are a perfect 8-0 in this fixture and have outscored Albania 31-3. However, the last match between the two sides was close.
In a 2022 friendly, it took a 90th-minute Dani Olmo winner for Spain to get a 2-1 win over Albania. In the only other two meetings of the last 10 years, Spain got 3-0 and 2-0 wins in in 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Albania Not Short on Belief
Albania have done an excellent job to stay competitive in the Euro 2024 Group of Death. In just their second appearance at the European Championship, Albania managed to score the quickest goal in tournament history in their opening match. However, Nedim Bajrami’s goal was cancelled out by an Italy comeback, and Albania fell 2-1. In their second match, against Croatia, Albania once again scored first as Qazim Laci headed home. The Albanians fell behind in the second half, but Klaus Gjasula scored a late equalizer to preserve a draw.
The Euro 2024 odds listed Albania as -250 favorites to finish at the bottom of Group B. However, if they can grab a win here, they’ll have an excellent shot to make the knockout stage, whether that’s in second place or as one of the highest-ranked third-place teams.
This is not a team short on belief, and there will be tons of Albanian fans in Germany cheering on the Red and Blacks. Albania finished ahead of Poland and Czech Republic in Euro qualifiers, and they haven’t looked intimidated in playing two of Europe’s best teams thus far. However, they’ve won just two of their six matches in 2024.
Spain Win Group B
The Spain national football team has looked like one of the best teams at the tournament thus far. This is simply not the Spain of old, and the evolution away from a ton of short passes is much needed. Spain’s wingers have caused a world of hurt for both Croatia and Italy. Lamine Yamal, just 16 years old, provided an assist in the first game versus Croatia. In the second match against Italy, left winger Nico Williams terrorized Italy’s right back Giovanni Di Lorenzo.
Williams’ cross led to Italy’s own goal, which was the only goal of the game, and he won the Man of the Match Award. Spain’s more direct playstyle means they have multiple ways of beating teams. With a 3-0 win over Croatia and a 1-0 win over Italy, Spain became the first team to win their group.
Coach Luis de le Fuente can choose to rest whoever he wants for the match against Albania. Plus, Rodri will serve his suspension in a match that won’t change Spain’s standings either way. Spain hasn’t faced a powerhouse attacking team yet, but they likely won’t until deep into the tournament. Heading into this one, Spain is on a four-game winning streak.
Albania vs Spain Match Analysis & Odds
This has the potential to be one of the most entertaining Euro 2024 games of the group stage. Albania have everything to play for and some bad habits could creep in for Spain if they’re not careful. From the time Spain clinched the group until now, Albania have gone from +800 to +600.
The Albania vs Spain Euro odds are swinging in Albania’s direction but they’ll still be heavy underdogs regardless. Spain are currently -222 favorites but we’d wait for a -180 price before pulling the trigger, especially with Rodri out. Spain still have superb players but they could be a less cohesive unit on Monday.
A draw is currently priced at +350, while Albania +1, +1.5 displays -118 odds. We think this match will be a close one given the circumstances and Spain -1, -1.5 at even odds doesn’t look great. Meanwhile, the over/under is currently at 2.5, 3. Spain are yet to concede while both teams have scored in both of Albania’s games so far.
