Beating Spain on Thursday evening was just what Croatia needed to get in the right mood for the England game. The match takes place at Wembley on Sunday afternoon, therefore a big crowd is expected. But, even without support from the stands, England would still have a lot of motivation for this game. It’s because things are really complicated in the Group 4 of the League A of the UEFA Nations League. Croatia and England both have 4 points and are behind the group leaders, Spain. Because of that, this match is a battle against relegation. If you want to bet on it, here’s an England vs Croatia prediction and betting tips.
England
With the same number of points, but with a better goal difference, the Three Lions are on the second spot. If they stay there, they won’t get relegated to the League 2. Croatia will. But, this means that England mustn’t lose the Sunday’s game.
Comparing the player quality, as well the performances of these two teams at the World Cup in Russia, it’s clear that Croatia have a slight advantage. But, England play at home. At the Wembley, a venue that has the capacity of 90,000. With the roar coming from the Stands of England’s national stadium, this team definitely looks capable of beating almost any opponent. But, does that include Croatia as well?
The match these two teams played in Croatia a month ago ended without any goals. England would like to achieve something similar this time as well. The problem is that Croatia play best when under pressure, so defending might not be the very best solution. Maybe England will have to try a different approach?
They definitely have a good set of attackers, so why wouldn’t they use them? I think they will, but only if they get in a need for that. What I’m saying is that I believe England will try to protect their net with all they got, but if something goes wrong, they’ll bring in a couple of lethal strikers to try and turn the game around.
Croatia
They achieved the biggest success in their footballing history this summer when they reached the final of the World Cup. But, just two months later, they experienced one of the biggest humiliations in years. They lost to Spain 6:0 in the Nations League.
But, it’s not just about their pride. Because of that game, they have a horrible goal difference, which means that they’re behind England even though both teams have the same number of points. And this is the reason why they will have to go for a win at Wembley, something that’s not going to be an easy job.
But, they’re confident that they can do it. At least, more confident than they were only a few days ago. The thing is that they managed to beat Spain 3:2 with a very late winner. And considering that Spain are probably a better team than England, they have confidence they can beat the Three Lions. Whether they’ll do it, remains a question. One thing is certain though, they will definitely try it. After all, they got absolutely nothing to lose.
Possible Lineups
England
Pickford – Keane, Gomez, Stones, Walker, Shaw – Henderson, Barkley, Alli – Sterling, Kane
Croatia
Kalinic – Vida, Lovren, Vrsaljko, Jedvaj – Modric, Rakitic, Brozovic – Perisic, Rebic, Kramaric
England vs Croatia Prediction
Croatia will attack, England will defend – that’s what I expect from this game. But, if Croatia score, the roles will reverse. So, it won’t be a big surprise if we see Croatia leading at half time and England managing to get a draw in the second.
England vs Croatia Betting Tips
- HT 2 @4.33 (bet365)
- BTS @1.72 (bet365)
- Full Time 1X @1.28 (bet365)