UEFA EURO 2020 – England vs Croatia Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When does England vs Croatia kick off? Sunday 13th June, 2021 – 14:00 (UK)
Where is England vs Croatia being played? Wembley Stadium, London
Where can I get tickets for England vs Croatia? Click here for the latest ticket information
What TV channel is England vs Croatia on in the UK? BBC
Where can I stream England vs Croatia in the UK? This match can be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website
HEAD-TO-HEAD
All matches: England 5 wins, Croatia 3 wins, 2 draws
Last meeting: England 2-1 Croatia (18/11/18)
THE LOWDOWN
ENGLAND
- Six wins in their last six international fixtures (including friendlies) sees England enter EURO 2020 in confident mood with all three of their Group D encounters being played at Wembley Stadium.
- England won’t want to be reminded of their recent record at the European Championships, having not gone beyond the quarter-final stage since being beaten on penalties by Germany in the semi-finals of EURO 96, which remains their highest ever finish in the competition.
- In striker Harry Kane, England boast the 2018 World Cup golden boot winner and a man who netted 12 goals over the course of qualifying. However, the Three Lions are sweating over the fitness of both centre-back Harry Maguire and midfielder Jordan Henderson
CROATIA
- The 2018 World Cup finalists Croatia will be hoping to go one better at EURO 2020, starting by finishing top of their group as they did back in EURO 2016, which saw them beaten by eventual winners Portugal after extra-time in the round of 16.
- Zlatko Dalic’s men will be embarking on their first international tournament since striker Mario Mandzukic’s international retirement and the Croatian head coach has backed Dinamo Zagreb forward Bruno Petkovic to fill the void left by the 35-year-old, who will be supplied by the likes of Ivan Perisic in attacking midfield.
- Defender Dejan Lovren will miss this match due to injury, however the starting XI for Croatia still looks strong with Real Madrid star Luka Modric set to be a key figure in the centre of midfield alongside newly crowned Champions League winner Mateo Kovacic.
THE TEAM NEWS
ENGLAND
PREDICTED XI (3-4-2-1): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Mings; Trippier, Mount, Rice, Chilwell; Sterling, Rashford; Kane
UNAVAILABLE:
QUESTIONABLE: Maguire (Injured), Henderson (Injured)
CROATIA
PREDICTED XI (4-3-3): Livakovic; Vrsaljko, Vida, Caleta-Car, Barisic; Kovacic, Brozovic, Modric; Rebic, Petkovic, Perisic
UNAVAILABLE: Lovren (Injured)
QUESTIONABLE:
THE KEY STATS
- England have never won their opening group game at a EURO final tournament in eight previous attempts (D5 L3) – Croatia draw no bet
- Croatia have won four of their previous five opening EURO final tournament group stage matches – Croatia to win
- England have failed to score in just two of their last 16 EURO final tournament matches – England to score
- Croatia have conceded more than one goal in just one of their last 11 EURO final tournament matches – England to score under 1.5 goals
- Croatia have conceded the first goal in four of their last six EURO final tournament matches – England to score first
THE PREDICTION
Croatia came out on top the last time these two teams collided in a major international tournament, beating England 2-1 after extra-time in the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Three years later and they are set to lock horns again at Wembley Stadium at EURO 2020. Whilst England are in excellent recent form leading into this opening Group D fixture having not lost since November 2020, Croatia have proven inconsistent as of late, losing to Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden over the course of their last five competitive fixtures, although they were victorious in the other two matches. As is the norm in recent games between these two sides, a close contest is expected at Wembley where the Three Lions beat Croatia 2-1 in the UEFA Nations League back in November 2018. England’s offensive firepower led by prolific goalscorer Harry Kane up front should give Gareth Southgate’s side the edge here, however with key defender Harry Maguire a major injury doubt, there are question marks over England’s defensive stability and it would be no surprise if Croatia were to at least find the net. With that in mind, consider both teams to score in this one, as has been the case in each of England’s last five opening group matches at the European Championships, a run stretching all the way back to EURO 96.
Tip: BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE
For fixtures, results, TV schedule, top scorers and plenty more, visit our tournament home page here!
