Following the completion of the second round of Group B, the only certainty is that Spain has secured their place in the round of 16 as group winners. Italy, Croatia, and Albania still have hopes of advancing.

Among the remaining trio, the “Azzurri” are in the best position, as a draw against Croatia will be enough to secure second place, regardless of the outcome of the Spain vs. Albania match.

For Croatia only a win will suffice, as it is unlikely that a draw would be enough to advance. In the last two European Championships, where 24 teams participated, no team has progressed with just two points.

If both matches end in a draw, Croatia would drop to last place due to a worse goal difference compared to Albania.

The ideal scenario on Monday would be a victory for Dalić’s team and either a win or a draw for Spain against Albania.

In this scenario, Croatia would finish second, Italy third, and Albania last. Second place would see the Croatian national team return to Berlin, where they would face the runner-up from Group B, currently led by Germany with six points, followed by Switzerland with four, Scotland with one, and Hungary with none.

If both Croatia and Albania win on Monday, they would each have four points, and goal difference would determine second place. Croatia currently stands at -3, while Albania is at -1. Encouragingly, four points have so far been enough to progress, at least from third position.

Should Croatia finish third, they would play against the winner of Group E (Romania 3, Slovakia 3, Belgium 0, Ukraine 0) or Group F (Portugal 3, Turkey 3, Czech Republic 0, Georgia 0).

As group winners, Spain will play on June 30 in Cologne against one of the third-placed teams.

Let’s remember that the round of 16 will feature not only the top two teams from each of the six groups but also the four best third-placed teams.