Croatia vs England - prediction, team news, lineups

England question to Stadion HNK Rijeka to look Croatia successful their 3rd fixture of the UEFA Nations League connected Saturday evening.

These 2 nations conscionable conscionable nether 4 months aft the Three Lions claims a 4-2 triumph implicit the Checkered Ones successful their opening group-stage lucifer astatine the 2026 World Cup.

Match preview

Three days aft letting a one-goal vantage gaffe successful a 3-2 defeat to satellite champions Spain, England picked up their archetypal 3 points of the caller Nations League run erstwhile they beat 10-man Czech Republic 2-0 successful Prague connected Tuesday.

Goals either broadside of fractional clip from Anthony Gordon and skipper Harry Kane helped the Three Lions easiness to victory, extending their winning streak distant from location successful the contention to 4 matches arsenic good arsenic ending their six-game tally without a cleanable sheet.

Thomas Tuchel has present won 18 of his 24 games (D2 L4) arsenic England caput manager since his assignment successful January 2025, and the German was pleased to spot his squad nutrient a “very professional” show aft overcoming an “awkward” encounter.

England volition play big to Czechia successful their 4th League A Group 3 fixture of this planetary break, but they indispensable archetypal displacement their attraction to this weekend’s clash with a reasonably acquainted foe successful Croatia, whom they person beaten 3 times successful their past 5 meetings since 2018 (D1 L1).

Ranked 4th successful the satellite by FIFA, England are looking to triumph a 4th successive lucifer against the Checkered Ones for the archetypal time, though they played retired a goalless stalemate successful their past sojourn to Croatia successful the 2018 Nations League.

Croatia kick-started their Nations League run with a 2-1 distant triumph implicit Czechia, but they were incapable to extremity Spain’s record-breaking 39-game unbeaten tally arsenic they fell to a 4-1 decision against the satellite champions connected Tuesday.

Dion Beljo cancelled retired Lamine Yamal’s aboriginal opener conscionable earlier the half-hour mark, but it took conscionable 3 minutes for La Roja to regain the pb done Marc Pubill, earlier 2 second-half goals condemned the Checkered Ones to their archetypal nonaccomplishment since the instrumentality of caput manager Slavan Bilic.

The erstwhile West Ham subordinate and manager did not clasp backmost successful his appraisal of Croatia post-match, claiming his players ‘lacked aggression’ and his defence successful peculiar “played badly”.

Sitting 12th successful the FIFA World Rankings, Croatia person present conceded successful 11 of their past 12 internationals crossed each competitions, portion they person suffered decision successful each of their past six matches against nations ranked successful the apical 10.

The Checkered Ones instrumentality to Rijeka connected Saturday for the archetypal clip since losing 2-0 to Belgium successful a pre-World Cup affable successful June, but they boast an unbeaten nine-game tally connected location ungraded successful competitory fixtures (W8 D1), past losing connected their ain turf to Turkey (1-0) successful a Euros qualifier successful October 2023.

Croatia Nations League form:

Croatia signifier (all competitions):

England Nations League form:

England signifier (all competitions):

Team News

Manchester City’s Nico O'Reilly has withdrawn from the England squad owed to injury, truthful Newcastle’s Lewis Hall is expected to proceed astatine left-back.

Ezri Konsa whitethorn beryllium acceptable to instrumentality to the starting lineup aft watching connected arsenic an unused substitute against Czechia. However, Como’s Trevoh Chalobah volition anticipation to support his centre-back spot alongside Marc Guehi.

Jordan Pickford has had to ticker James Trafford commencement England’s archetypal 2 Nations League matches, but Tuchel has said that the 91-cap goalkeeper from Everton volition beryllium fixed the adjacent 2 games betwixt the sticks.

Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham could gain a callback successful midfield, portion some Alex Scott and James Garner are pushing to commencement their archetypal competitory lucifer astatine the disbursal of Myles Lewis-Skelly.

As for Croatia, defenders Josip Juranovic and Martin Erlic some pulled retired from the squad past week owed to injury, portion Martin Erlic missed the decision to Spain with a hamstring strain and has since withdrawn from the squad.

Brighton & Hove Albion’s Luka Vuskovic, 19, is simply a beardown contender to regenerate Marin Pongracic and spouse Man City’s Josko Gvardiol astatine centre-back.

It remains to beryllium seen whether 41-year-old fable Luka Modric volition gain a callback aft scoring connected his past commencement for Croatia against Czechia. Martin Baturina, who scored against England astatine the World Cup, is besides pushing to commencement successful midfield oregon attack.

Dinamo Zagreb striker Dion Beljo has netted 5 goals successful his past 4 games for nine and country. After scoring his latest extremity against Spain, the 24-year-old volition anticipation to proceed up beforehand up of Igor Matanovic and Petar Musa, different who scored against England astatine the World Cup.

Croatia imaginable starting lineup:

Livakovic; Smolcic, Vuskovic, Gvardiol, Perisic; Modric, Kovacic P. Sucic; Baturina, Beljo, Marco Pasalic

England imaginable starting lineup:

Pickford; Trent, Chalobah, Guehi, Hall; Anderson, Garner; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane

We say: Croatia 1-2 England

Given that six goals were scored successful the past gathering betwixt these 2 nations, portion six of England’s past 7 games person seen implicit 2.5 goals scored, an entertaining, end-to-end contention could beryllium successful store this weekend.

However, with Ballon d’Or contender Kane starring the enactment for England adjacent to in-form Gordon, and with Bellingham apt to return, we are backing the Three Lions to borderline to triumph and support their spot successful the apical 2 of League A Group 3.

For information investigation of the astir apt results, scorelines and much for this lucifer delight click here.