England
- England have won 4 of their last 5 games and are on a three-game winning streak.
- Thomas Tuchel's England have come on leaps and bounds since his appointment on 1 January 2025 and his proactive 4-2-3-1 is designed to be at their most intense at the start of games as they look to press the ball high up the field and counter-press in numbers.
- The Three Lions have the press to cut Croatia off at the source and have the numbers to then flood the forward areas to make their chances on the break.
Croatia
- Croatia have won just one of their last 5 and have lost three consecutive games.
- The Vatreni look to be more selective in their pressing under Bilic, however, the 4-2-3-1 looks to be a good system for him as it allows him to keep the ball with the likes of Luka Modric in the right positions to cause problems.
- England will need to be at their best to prevent their opponents from getting the space to operate, but if they can, they should score heavily.
Head-to-Head
- England thrashed Croatia 7-0 in their previous UEFA Nations League A, Group 3 2026 matchup.
- England have won the last 2 head-to-heads.
Key Players
- Croatia's Dion Drena Beljo is Croatia's top scorer in the group with one goal in one match, but England have a number of sharpshooters who can make the difference here.
- Ivan Perisic has been in fine form in 2026 and has two goals and two assists in this group for his country.
- England's Anthony Gordon is a threat with two in his two appearances in the group, but Harry Kane is the best anytime scorer bet here with six of England's 19 in their last five matches.
Betting Insights
- England are 1.24 to win here and there is simply no value in supporting them.
- Croatia are 5.9, but we will take the 5.9 draw here as England should have too much for the visitors once again, but Croatia's need for points could make the opening exchanges a lot more competitive than the odds suggest.
- Croatia have a win and a loss in two Nations League away games, while England are also 1-1 across their two home games in the competition.
- They have also scored three goals in two away trips, while England have averaged 2.5 goals per home game, scoring five in total.
- Over 2.5 goals at 1.5 is the main selection, while both teams to score at 1.95 could also provide some value.
Prediction
- The hosts should have too much for the Vatreni and with England in such great form, over 2.5 goals at 1.5 is the main selection, while both teams to score at 1.95 could also provide some value.
- England will need to be at their best to prevent their opponents from getting the space to operate, but if they can, they should score heavily.
