The last time Spain played in a major tournament, it was knocked out of the World Cup in just 180 minutes.
The Spanish are still considered amongst the massive favorites in win Group D, and they're one of the biggest favorites to win Euro 2016 as well. Turkey, Croatia and the Czech Republic could have something to say about that, though.
Euro 2016 Group D Odds at BookMaker.eu
Spain -154 Croatia +255 Czech Republic +950 Turkey +1050
ODDS ANALYSIS
Most of the groups in Euro 2016 feature odds on favorites, and this isn't an exception to that. Spain is lined at -154 to win Group D, and for good reason. The rest of these teams aren't anywhere near the Top 10 teams in the world like Spain is, and even though the Spanish really took a massive step backwards in the World Cup in 2014, they're still the two-time defending champs of the European championships, and they'll be feared by one and all.
GROUP D SCHEDULE
Turkey vs. Croatia (June 12) Spain vs. Czech Republic (June 13)
Czech Republic vs. Croatia (June 17) Spain vs. Turkey (June 17)
Croatia vs. Spain (June 21) Czech Republic vs. Turkey (June 21)
THE KEY MATCH
Czech Republic vs. Turkey (June 21) – These two teams played against each other twice in qualifying for Euro 2016, and both of won on the other's home turf. There's a really good chance that these two are going to be fighting to stay out of the gutter in Group D, the result of which would see the loser left out of the knockout rounds. These two teams have a history in the Euros, too. In Euro 2008, the Czechs were up 2-0 and looked to be cruising when these two teams met each other, but Turkey scored three times, one in the 75th minute, then again twice just before stoppage time to take a certain defeat to turn it into an amazing victory.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Petr Cech is going to have to be a ridiculous star in this tournament for the Czech Republic if it's to advance into the knockout rounds. He doesn't have a great defense around him, and he'll have to be a pillar in the pipes.
Croatia's top dog is Darijo Srna, a man who not only is a fantastic defender but has a deadline free kick as well. Srna might not quite be as fast as he used to be, but he could still be a heck of a superstar in this group.
Turkey's star is clear. Arda Turan is a key cog in Barcelona's midfield, and he's going to be a massive part of the game plan for his nation as well. Turan has 17 goals in 89 matches in his career representing his country, and he'll have to score a bunch more in Group D if the Turks are getting through to the knockout rounds.
Go ahead and take your pick with Spain as to who the key player is. Just as we picked Cech for the Czechs, we're going to be pointing the finger at Iker Casillas. He's a grizzled vet at this point, but was probably the biggest culprit of all of the failures in the World Cup two years ago. He'll be looking for redemption for La Roja, and if he doesn't, there's a good chance this will be the last time he represents his nation.
EURO 2016 GROUP D QUICK PICK
Group D Projections
Spain: 2-1-0 (7 Points)
Croatia: 1-1-1 (4 Points)
Turkey: 0-3-0 (3 Points)
Czech Republic: 0-1-2 (1 Point)
Even though we do think Spain is still the superior team in this group, we don't think these matches are going to be easy for it.
The only team we don't think will ultimately get into the next stage here is the Czech Republic. We really think this is a team which has just gotten old and isn't good enough to play at this level.
Turkey is the interesting team to watch. The Turks haven't lost a game in almost two calendar years, but they haven't played much in the way of competition. They could find a way to get a result from all of the teams in this group, and if that's how this goes down, Turkey could get a result in all of these matches, even against mighty Spain.
That said, this is still Spain's group. Croatia will get the three points against the Czechs to ensure its spot in the second round of the tournament, but that won’t be enough to tame La Roja.
Euro 2016 Odds: Spain (-154)
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