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On Thursday evening, England host Croatia at Wembley in matchday five of the Nations League. Thomas Tuchel’s side thrashed Croatia 7–0 back in October, and now have a chance to secure their spot in the quarterfinals. Given the visitors’ poor form, we expect another confident England win. England vs Croatia preview.
England have picked up nine points from four matches in League A Group 3, sitting second, three points behind Spain. The Three Lions have won three straight matches since their 3–2 defeat to Spain, without conceding a single goal in that run.
Fourteen goals scored and just three conceded clearly highlight England’s dominance. Harry Kane is also on the verge of a historic milestone: if he takes the field, his 126th cap will see him break Peter Shilton’s England record.
Croatia’s situation is considerably tougher. Slaven Bilic’s side started the campaign with a win over the Czechs but have since lost three in a row. Croatia have conceded 14 goals in four matches, which is especially worrying ahead of a trip to Wembley.
In the most recent round, Spain beat Croatia 2–1, leaving Modric and company in third place with three points. England vs Croatia clashes are usually tightly contested, but this time the odds are heavily tilted in England’s favor.
England vs Croatia: injuries and absences
For England, Marc Guéhi and Ezri Konsa are unavailable through injury, while Myles Lewis-Skelly is serving a suspension. Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka are also missing from the squad, but Tuchel can still field an extremely strong attacking lineup.
Croatia’s problems are even more severe. Ivan Perisic is suspended, while Josip Sutalo, Martin Pongracic, Kristijan Jakic, Andrej Kramaric, and Franjo Ivanovic are all out injured. The experienced Luka Modric, however, remains the team’s leader.
England vs Croatia betting tips
Home advantage, excellent attacking form, and the recent head-to-head results between the two sides all favor England. At the summer World Cup, England won 4–2, and in October they won 7–0, meaning they’ve scored 11 goals against Croatia across their two meetings this year.
We believe England’s attack can once again find the net several times against a depleted Croatian defense. With the odds for a straightforward home win expected to be low, we’re adding a goals-based option as well.
As an alternative, we’d also consider the England to score 2 or more goals market. Croatia have conceded an average of 3.5 goals in their four Nations League matches so far, and several key defenders are once again unavailable.
That said, a draw would also be enough for the hosts to reach the quarterfinals, which could somewhat temper their attacking intent, especially if they take an early lead. The players may also be feeling fatigued, so we’re not expecting huge energy or tempo from England this time around.
England vs Croatia: Thursday, November 12, 8:45 PM, Wembley Stadium, London.
We sourced the odds from Boabet, where new players can currently claim a huge welcome bonus.
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