Croatia vs England – Match preview and team news | OneFootball

England will continue their UEFA Nations League journey on Saturday against Croatia away from home at Stadion NHK Rijeka.

Croatia vs England – Match preview and team news

Croatia team news

Croatia enters the match managing key defensive absences but boosted by the return of veteran leadership. Legendary midfielder Luka Modrić is expected to return to the starting lineup alongside Mateo Kovačić after being rested on the bench mid-week.

In defence, manager Slaven Bilić faces a few selection headaches. Centre-back Martin Erlić is completely ruled out until mid-October due to injury, while right-back Josip Juranović is also unavailable as he recovers from an illness.

However, defender Josip Stanišić is tipped to make his return to the backline after missing out against Spain. Croatia may also blood some younger talent, with rising defensive star Luka Vušković and winger Martin Baturina heavily pushing for a spot in the opening XI.

Dominika Livaković will start in goal, protected by a backline expected to feature Joško Gvardiol.

England team news

England manager Thomas Tuchel has confirmed a clean bill of health for his traveling 24-man squad in Rijeka, though the roster is missing several regular heavyweights.

Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford is set to reclaim his spot in goal from James Trafford as part of a planned rotation strategy. In defence, Ezri Konsa has fully recovered from a recent knock and trained without issues on Friday, making him the favourite to partner Marc Guéhi at centre-back.

The Three Lions had to adapt to late squad changes, as Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly withdrew from the camp. England are also playing without high-profile stars Declan Rice, Kobbie Mainoo, Cole Palmer, and Marcus Rashford, who all withdrew before the international break.

Despite these missing names, Tuchel boasts a strong attack led by Harry Kane, supported by Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka.

Form

Croatia

Croatia enters this match seeking consistency following mixed results in their opening UEFA Nations League matches. They kicked off their campaign with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Czechia in Prague but suffered a heavy 4-1 defeat against Spain in Seville. This follows a challenging summer campaign where they were beaten 4-2 by England during the group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in June.

England

England has displayed strong momentum under Thomas Tuchel, winning three of their last five matches in all competitions. They bounced back from a narrow 3-2 opening loss against Spain with a convincing 2-0 away victory over Czechia in their last outing. The Three Lions also hold the upper hand in recent head-to-head history, having dismantled Croatia 4-2 at the World Cup just a few months ago.

Predicted lineups

Croatia: Livakovic; Smolcic, Vuskovic, Gvardiol, Perisic; Modric, Kovacic P. Sucic; Baturina, Beljo, Marco Pasalic

England: Pickford; Trent, Chalobah, Guehi, Hall; Anderson, Garner; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane

How to watch Croatia vs England?

In the UK, you can watch the Croatia vs England match live and completely free on ITV1

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