Croatia vs Spain LIVE: Luis Enrique's team look to put stuttering group stage behind them in heavyweight last-16 clash against 2018 World Cup finalists... who are without Ivan Perisic after positive Covid-19 test

Spain will look to keep their quest for a record fourth European Championship trophy alive by beating Croatia in a potentially tricky last-16 tie.

Luis Enrique's team flattered to deceive for much of their group stage campaign, but rounded off their third fixture in style by thumping five goals beyond Slovakia to ensure they qualified in second.

Croatia, meanwhile, also finished second in their group and are targeting another fine result on the international stage. They will be without Ivan Perisic, who has been ruled out after testing positive for Covid-19.

Follow Sportsmail's DANIEL DAVIS for live Euro 2020 coverage of Croatia vs Spain, including build-up, team news and updates.  

  • Sportsmail Reporter

    Host commentator

16:19
Luis Enrique calls for police probe into Alvaro Morata abuse

The comments directed at Alvaro Morata after his poor start to Euro 2020 really have been sickening.

Last week, the striker said people threatened his family outside games, and also shouted 'I hope your children die' at him.

Boss Luis Enrique has described the abhorrent treatment as a 'serious crime' and wants the police to investigate.

Regardless of a player's form, no-one deserves that level of abuse, and he'll be hoping to prove a few critics wrong today.

16:11
Croatia's Ante Rebic in for absent Ivan Perisic

There were a few question marks over who would replace Ivan Perisic out wide for Croatia today, and we now have our answer.

Step forward, Ante Rebic! Not a bad option, eh?

He will line up in a front three alongside Bruno Petkovic and Nikola Vlasic - and together, they will look to pose plenty of problems for Spain.

Elsewhere, Duje Caleta-Car has replaced Dejan Lovren, who is suspended.

15:57
Struggling Alvaro Morata keeps his place up top for Spain

It's been a very difficult tournament for Alvaro Morata so far, and he recently opened up on the sickening torrent of abuse sent his way.

We'll bring you the latest on this story shortly.

Luis Enrique has stuck by the misfiring striker, though, with Morata leading the line once again this evening.

Ferran Torres has replaced Gerard Moreno, meanwhile, with Jose Gaya in ahead of Jordi Alba and Pau Torres benched again.

15:55
CROATIA TEAM NEWS

Starting XI: Livakovic, Juranovic, Vida, Caleta-Car, Gvardiol, Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic, Vlasic, Rebic, Petkovic

Substitutes: Vrsaljko, Brekalo, Kramaric, Kalinic, Budimir, Pasalic, Skoric, Orsic, Badelj, Sluga, Bradaric, Ivanusec

15:50
SPAIN TEAM NEWS

Starting XI: Simon, Azpilicueta, Garcia, Laporte, Gaya, Busquets, Koke, Pedri, F. Torres, Morata, Sarabia

Substitutes: De Gea, D. Llorente, P. Torres, M. Llorente, Moreno, Alcantara, Sanchez, Rodri, Ruiz, Alba, Olmo, Oyarzabal

15:47
Dalic: 'We need to win and be offensive'

I don't think it's unfair to say that a lot of games at Euro 2020 so far have been edgy affairs often bogged down in midfield.

Croatia may have been keen to keep it tight for this one in search of a quarter-final spot, but Zlatko Dalic believes that approach won't work.

'It’s hard for Ivan but we have to adapt,' he said on Perisic. 'Ivan will be our biggest fan and God willing, he will join us in seven or eight days.

'We were shocked by Perisic’s positive result, but we have been living with the stress of this possibility for a month. We are used to it.

'We have a big number of players in this position. We will decide on a player who is a natural there, but I believe any of them can do well.'

On the actual clash, he added: 'We need to win, to play a good game and be offensive. If we just defend we will not achieve anything.'

15:39
It's a party atmosphere in Copenhagen

There are plenty of Croatia supporters about to cheer their team on this afternoon.

As the nerves and tension build, it should also be pointed out that there don't seem to be as many Spain fans in and around Copenhagen.

What kind of effect could that have on the game?

Either way, those lucky enough to be there have been out on the streets drinking, partying and soaking up the sun. 

15:25
Ivan Perisic OUT after positive coronavirus test

That's a big, big blow for them. The news was officially confirmed on Saturday evening, and Ivan Perisic misses out this evening.

He scored in the win against Scotland, which ultimately sent Croatia through into the last-16, but now must self-isolate for 10 days.

This comes soon off the back of Billy Gilmour, who had lined up against Perisic's compatriots at Hampden, also testing positive for Covid-19.

To read the full story, give the link below a click.

15:14
Good afternoon!

Hi, all! Welcome along to Sportsmail's live coverage of Croatia v Spain, the next clash of the titans at the last-16 stage of Euro 2020.

Both teams slowly grew into the tournament during their groups, with Spain in particular responding to their critics with a 5-0 win.

They have mainly flattered to deceive, however, and will look to improve on toothless displays against Sweden and Poland today.

As for Croatia, they finished second in England's group, Group D, and qualified after an inspired Luka Modric helped them beat Scotland 3-1.

Both these nations will want to reach the next stage, and will certainly deem it a failure if they don't, so the stakes are high once again!

Kick off is at 5pm BST, and we'll bring you all the build-up and team news before we get underway.

Croatia vs Spain - Euro 2020: Live score, team news and updates

The comments below have not been moderated.

The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline.

By posting your comment you agree to our house rules.