Croatia vs England Predictions

It’s rare that sides get a chance to claim revenge just three months after World Cup heartbreak. Yet, England head to Croatia this week, following their loss in Moscow back in July. They meet again in the UEFA Nations League, and the pair have gone from chasing the biggest trophy in football to a relegation battle. They’re joint bottom of the table after opening game defeats, but can either of these two bounce back with a win? After such a morale-boosting World Cup, both Croatia and England disappointed in September, and they’ll be searching for better here.

Croatia were humiliated in their first competitive game after the World Cup. They were beaten 6-0 by Spain, days after drawing with Portugal. That’s certainly a sharp decline after their exploits in Russia. There’s not been a huge turnover for the hosts since their defeat to France, and they’ve certainly got a squad who can challenge for the trophy at Euro 2020. However, winning the first Nations League seems beyond them, with the Spanish six points clear at the top.

England were beaten at Wembley by the rejuvenated Spanish, yet another defeat in a big competitive game. While the morale boost of the World Cup brought optimism back to the Three Lions, Argentina in 2002 remains the last big side they beat in a competitive game. The Nations League seemed like a chance for them to claim a landmark win, but now they face difficult trips to Croatia and Spain in the next few days, which could leave them pointless after three matches.

These two sides will be fighting to avoid finishing bottom, as they look to stay in the top tier. Croatia’s hammering last month has handed the advantage to the Three Lions, and they’ll be looking to expose the Croatians’ poor defence. The hosts’ heavy loss means they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet in six matches. They finished World Cup qualifying by conceding at home to Finland and Greece, and last month’s results suggest that the defensive issues haven’t gone anywhere.

England do have options going forward, and Gareth Southgate’s 3-5-2 system offers a lot going forward. Marcus Rashford impressed in September’s games, scoring in both, and he’ll be pushing to feature alongside Harry Kane. We see the Three Lions causing problems in this visit to Croatia, especially given that they can also cause problems from set pieces. Meanwhile, the hosts have scored in seven straight home games, and we see them adding to that streak. Both teams to score is our tip here, which has landed in six of their last seven meetings.