Croatia vs England Prediction, Tips and Odds | Nations League

Croatia and England meet at the Stadion HNK Rijeka on Saturday (17:00 BST, live on ITV1 and ITVX) in a Nations League Group A3 fixture that will be played behind closed doors after UEFA sanctioned the Croatian federation for crowd trouble during the March 2025 quarter-final against France.

Both sides sit on three points from one win and one defeat, level on games but separated by goal difference, and whoever loses here will face an uphill task to catch Spain, who lead the group with a perfect six points from two matches.

Croatia vs England form and preview

Croatia's Nations League campaign has been defined by wild swings in quality, opening with a composed 2-1 victory in Prague before collapsing to a 4-1 defeat in Seville that Slaven Bilic described as a performance that was “bad in every sense”.

The potential return of Luka Modric and Martin Baturina from illness could restore the creative axis that was deliberately rested for the Spain match, and Bilic will hope that the 41-year-old captain can replicate the kind of performance that saw him become the oldest scorer in Croatia's history against Czechia.

Defensively, the picture is less encouraging, with Juranovic (Achilles tendon) and Erlic (foot) both absent from the squad and no return date set for either player.

The makeshift back three that started in Seville conceded four goals, with the fourth coming as late as the 89th minute, and while the expected return of Josip Stanisic from illness strengthens the wing-back position, the structural concern remains that Croatia's centre-backs will be stretched by the pace England can generate on transitions.

Seven goals scored across five matches is a respectable attacking output, but eight conceded in the same period points to a team that cannot currently keep opponents at arm's length for sustained spells.

England arrive in Rijeka having scored 13 goals across their last five competitive fixtures, a rate of output that underscores the relentless attacking threat Thomas Tuchel has built around Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham since his appointment in October 2024.

The trade-off is a defence that has shipped 10 in the same stretch, including three against Spain at Wembley in the group opener and four in the World Cup third-place play-off against France, a pattern that suggests this side is more comfortable pressing forward than protecting what it has.

Tuchel has placed conspicuous trust in young players during pressurised moments, deploying Arsenal's Myles Lewis-Skelly and Manchester City's Elliot Anderson as a double pivot to compensate for the injured Declan Rice's absence with energy and ball-carrying ability.

The 2-0 win over Czechia offered a confidence boost but came against a side that played with 10 men from the 25th minute, leaving legitimate questions about how this defence will cope against opponents who keep a full complement on the pitch for 90 minutes.

Playing behind closed doors removes the atmospheric advantage that has historically made Rijeka a testing venue for visiting sides, and England's bench still features the likes of Eberechi Eze, Morgan Rogers and Morgan Gibbs-White despite six players being absent through injury, a depth of resource that should allow Tuchel to manage the game in the second half if needed. Punters looking for the best newest UK betting sites will find extensive coverage of this fixture and the wider Nations League programme.

The group calendar adds further weight to Saturday's result, with England hosting Czechia at Wembley three days later before a decisive final-round visit to Spain, making three points here the platform that would allow Tuchel to approach the remaining fixtures from a position of relative comfort. Those seeking the best football UK betting sites will find competitive odds across the full Nations League schedule.

Team news and predicted lineups for Croatia vs England

Croatia

Bilic confirmed the absences of Juranovic and Erlic before the opening fixtures, and neither defender has been given a timeline for recovery, leaving Croatia short of specialist centre-back cover for a third consecutive match.

Stanisic and Baturina, who both missed the Spain defeat through viral illness, are expected to return to the squad and could potentially slot straight into the starting lineup, with Stanisic reclaiming the right wing-back position and Baturina potentially operating in a free role behind Budimir.

Modric was rested against Spain after recovering from a fever before the Czechia match and could potentially start, having been identified by Croatian press as the one player Bilic cannot afford to leave out in the two fixtures that will define the group.

Predicted lineup for Croatia (3-5-2): Livakovic; Gvardiol, Vuskovic, Sutalo; Stanisic, Modric, Kovacic, Petar Sucic, Perisic; Baturina, Budimir.

England

Tuchel has lost six players to injury since naming his original squad, with Palmer, Rice, Rashford, Mainoo and Livramento all withdrawing on 21 September and O'Reilly following them out of the camp on 1 October after returning to Manchester City.

Ezri Konsa remains a doubt after missing the Czechia match with a minor issue, and Tuchel has not provided an update on the Arsenal defender since 29 September, leaving his availability uncertain.

Bellingham picked up a minor knock late in the Czechia win and played only 20 minutes of that match, but he has been named in the squad and could potentially return to the starting XI in place of Rogers, who deputised effectively in Prague.

The squad now numbers 23 players, and Tuchel has opted not to call up a replacement for O'Reilly, a decision that reflects confidence in the group he has available rather than any concern about depth.

Predicted lineup for England (4-2-3-1): Trafford; Alexander-Arnold, Chalobah, Guehi, Hall; Lewis-Skelly, Anderson; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.

Head-to-head record between Croatia and England

England have dominated this fixture in recent years, winning seven of 12 all-time meetings with two draws and three defeats, and the most recent encounter produced a comprehensive 4-2 victory in the World Cup group stage in Dallas in June.

Kane scored twice in that match, with Bellingham and Marcus Rashford also finding the net, and Croatia's last victory over England came in the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Moscow, when Mario Mandzukic scored the decisive goal in extra time after Ivan Perisic had cancelled out Kieran Trippier's early free-kick.

Bilic has his own personal history against England, having led Croatia to the famous 3-2 victory at Wembley in November 2007 that eliminated England from Euro 2008 qualification, though the return fixture in September 2009 produced a 5-1 win for England at the same venue.

The only previous meeting between these teams in Rijeka was a 0-0 draw in the Nations League in October 2018, played behind closed doors in almost identical circumstances after a separate UEFA sanction on the Croatian federation. Those looking for more betting tips and predictions can find coverage across the full Nations League round.

Our Croatia vs England prediction and tips

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