STAR FOOTBALL PREVIEW Thu: England v Croatia

England have already effectively qualified for the Nations League quarter-finals but don’t expect them to rest on their laurels when Croatia visit Wembley, writes WILLIAM KEDJANYI.

Since their World Cup heartbreak at the hands of Argentina, England have responded well with a madcap third-place play-off win against France before an unlucky 3-2 defeat to Spain, a pair of wins over the Czech Republic and a 7-0 thrashing of Croatia in the reverse fixture which incredibly could and arguably should have come by a bigger margin.

Slaven Bilic’s side looked over the hill when England rolled through but to their credit they bounced back with a strong showing against Spain a few days later.

⭐ ENGLAND VS CROATIA MARKETS ⭐

England vs Croatia
UEFA Nations League – Wembley Stadium
Thursday 19:45 – Live on ITV1 and ITVX

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ENGLAND v CROATIA PREVIEW

There’s little jeopardy for England here but motivation will be high – a strong showing at the Nations League is imperative for Tuchel and those who want to keep a place in his squads, with a home Euros two years away. A win here will also keep their chances of topping their section alive – they face Spain in Madrid on Sunday – so a full-strength side will surely be used for both games.

England’s Ballon D’Or winner Harry Kane is sure to get a big reception for his first England appearance since winning the award, Jude Bellingham has scored in two his last three for Real Madrid, Anthony Gordon is enjoying his first season at Barcelona; and Morgan Rogers has scored against Liverpool and Manchester United for Chelsea so England are stacked with attacking talent once again.

Croatia will be determined to avoid a repeat of their humiliation in the reverse fixture and we should expect stiff resistance here although the suspension for Ivan Perisic, who headed them infront against Spain, will hurt.

Slaven Bilic also has a choice to make – they are playing for pride only so it’s possible that he could experiment with his side here ahead of their home game against the Czech Republic on Sunday.

The absences of Josip Sutalo, Martin Pongracic, Andrej Kramaric, Franjo Ivanovic and Kristijan Jakic make the visitors’ life more difficult against an England side stacked with bench options to boot here, and this looks to be a tough assignment for the visitors.

⭐ ENGLAND VS CROATIA MARKETS ⭐

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ENGLAND v CROATIA: LAST FIVE GAMES

HEAD-TO-HEAD
OCT 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – Croatia 0-7 England
JUN 2026 WORLD CUP – England 4-2 Croatia
JUN 2021 EURO 2020 – England 1-0 Croatia
NOV 2018 NATIONS LEAGUE – England 2-1 Croatia
OCT 2018 NATIONS LEAGUE – Croatia 0-0 England

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 ENGLAND
OCT 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – England 3-0 Czechia
OCT 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – Croatia 0-7 England
SEP 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – Czechia 0-2 England
SEP 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – England 2-3 Spain
JUL 2026 WORLD CUP – France 4-6 England

🇭🇷 CROATIA
OCT 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – Croatia 1-2 Spain
OCT 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – Croatia 0-7 England
SEP 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – Spain 4-1 Croatia
SEP 2026 NATIONS LEAGUE – Czechia 1-2 Croatia
JUL 2026 WORLD CUP – Croatia 1-2 Portugal

⭐ ENGLAND VS CROATIA MARKETS ⭐

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WHERE’S THE BETTING VALUE IN ENGLAND v CROATIA?

England’s short price here with starsports.bet is understandable given their home record and their head-to-head against a Croatia side they’ve beaten twice since the summer with ease, and goals may be the best way to go. The visitors responded to their 7-0 thumping in admirable style against Spain, and we should expect them to show plenty of spirit but the gap between the two sides and especially the difference in squad depth means this is all about the hosts from a betting point of view.

A high-scoring game wouldn’t be a surprise at all – England have scored two or more goals in their last five games, and they’ve scored three or more in four of their last five since their semi-final defeat at the World Cup. It’s not a surprise to see Over 3.5 goals as short as 23/20 whilst defensive issues for England – Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa are absent – mean that both teams to score will be attractive for some backers. Both are potentially valid options but England ought to be good enough to cover a one goal handicap which is the main play.

England’s attackers have filled their boots over the past year, and Harry Kane is of interest to score a brace. He’s done so in 6 of the last 12 matches where he’s scored for England, and that would be 7 but for a missed penalty against Spain, a rare occurrence for the Bayern Munich ace and Ballon D’Or winner.

⭐ ENGLAND VS CROATIA MARKETS ⭐

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RECOMMENDED BETS
BACK England -1 3pts at 8/13 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)
BACK Harry Kane to score a brace 1.5pts at 11/5 (⭐ ? CLICK TO BET NOW)

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PROFIT/LOSS (NOV 2026): -15.81 points

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