Group D favorites England and Croatia face off in a highly-anticipated clash on June 13th. Here's everything you need to know about the opening weekend clash between a pair of European powerhouses:
Basic Info
Date: Sunday, June 13, 2021
Time: 9:00 a.m. EST
Location: London, England
Venue: Wembley Stadium
TV Broadcast: ESPN (English); fubo TV (Spanish)
History
The two countries have played ten times in 25 years, with England winning five, and Croatia taking three, but the rivalry between them started back in Nov. 2007 during the final match of Euro 2008 qualification. England needed only a draw against Croatia (who had already qualified) to reach the European Championships the next summer.
Croatia already triumphed 2-0 over the English a year earlier in Zagreb in their first encounter of the qualification cycle, representing the three points that separated the sides entering the fixture at Wembley.
The Croats took a 2-0 lead inside 15 minutes thanks to goals from Niko Kranjčar and Ivica Olić — the first was the result of a howler from England keeper Scott Carson. England responded in the second half, equalizing through Frank Lampard and Peter Crouch.
A point would have been enough to put England through, but a left-footed strike in the 77th minute from Croatia's Mladen Petrić beat England keeper Scott Carson from 25 yards out — giving Croatia the three points and eliminating England from Euro qualification.
It was the first time England had not reached the Euros since 1984, ending a streak of six straight international tournaments the Three Lions had qualified for.
Aside from the result, the contest is widely remembered for Sol Campbell's first half slide tackle, as his continuous slide has become the stuff of legends over the years.
The two countries also famously met in the semifinals of the 2018 World Cup in one of the best matches of the tournament.
England took the lead after five minutes through Kieran Trippier's perfectly-placed free kick and had a chance to go two up after half an hour played, but Danijel Subašić denied Harry Kane by the stud of his left boot to keep the deficit at one goal.
The scrappy Croats would not go away, and in the 68th minute, the left foot of Ivan Perišić flew in ahead of Kyle Walker to poke a cross into the back of the net.
The rest of the match included everything a soccer fan could hope for: shots hitting the post, clearances off the goalline, one-on-one saves, and in the 19th minute of extra time Mario Mandžukić reacted first to a flicked header in the penalty area to poke home the winning goal for his country — sending Croatia to its first ever World Cup Final.
England fans will surely not forget either of these defeats any time soon.
Recent Form
England cruised through Euro 2020 qualifying, only losing once en route to topping a relatively easy group. The Three Lions struggled a bit in their UEFA Nations League Group, losing to Denmark and Belgium this past fall as they finished third in group A2.
But three wins in World Cup qualifying in March, including a 2-1 victory over Poland, should quell any worries about the team's performance.
Croatia also topped its Euro qualifying group, but the side did have a couple of hiccups along the way, including a defeat to Hungary and a draw against Azerbaijan (the only point earned by Azerbaijan in qualifying).
More recently though, the country's struggles have been magnified in the Nations League. Croatia earned just three points from six Nations League fixtures, narrowly avoiding relegation from League B based on goal differential.
Most of Croatia's difficulties came on defense; the Croats scored in every Nations League match, but also conceded multiple goals in each of their five defeats. That poor form carried over to WCQ, as Croatia lost to Slovenia before picking up easy victories against Cyprus and Malta.
The Squads
England
Ahead of naming his final #EURO2020 squad next week, Gareth Southgate has selected 33 players to join up with the #ThreeLions from this weekend as our preparations for this summer's tournament get under way.
— England (@England) May 25, 2021
England comes into this summer's Euro ranked fourth in the world and will be one of the favorites in the tournament. The squad is marked by big-name attackers like Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and Raheem Sterling — all three of which are competent goal-scorers at the international level.
The Three Lions also boast a plethora of fullbacks. Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold will battle it out for the right back position, while Ben Chilwell looks to be the favorite to win the left back role ahead of an in-form Luke Shaw.
If there's a weakness in the squad though, it's the central midfield.
Jordan Henderson has some injury concerns that re-emerged at the end of the Premier League campaign while the rest of the midfield is very inexperienced. Of the other six center mids, only Jesse Lingard has played for England at an international tournament, while Mount, Ward-Prowse, Bellingham, Phillips and Rice have just 46 international caps combined — 90 fewer than Croatia captain Luka Modrić alone.
Croatia
Here they are! #Vatreni
— HNS (@HNS_CFF) May 17, 2021
As always, Croatia has a plethora of options in the midfield. 35-year-old Luka Modrić is coming off another fine season in La Liga, and he is joined by Chelsea's Mateo Kovačić, Marcelo Brozović of Serie A title winners AC Milan and Atalanta midfielder Mario Pašalić. The biggest trouble for Zlatko Dalić will be fitting all of these talented players in one starting XI.
Up front, Croatia is led by another Inter Milan player — Ivan Perišić — on the left wing, with goals likely being provided by AC Milan's Ante Rebić or Hoffenheim's Andrej Kramarić, who have 31 goals in 55 league appearances between them this season.
Defensively, the side is anchored by the competent center back pairing of Dejan Lovren (Zenit St Petersburg) and Duje Ćaleta-Car (Olympique Marseille).
Croatia has five players with 60+ caps — including Luka Modrić with 136 — while Raheem Sterling leads England with 61 caps. This experience gap may be Croatia's biggest advantage on the pitch.
Prediction
Croatia is good enough to play with just about anybody in this tournament and will look to boss the game in the midfield. But England is the more talented squad overall, and the Croatia back four will have trouble dealing with the ever-dangerous England front three. England gets a couple of first half goals, Croatia makes some adjustments at half and is able to pull a goal back, but the Three Lions prevail in the end.
England Wins 2-1
