Current form: How Croatia and England compare
As we all know, Croatia pulled off one of the biggest surprises in world football this past summer by making it all the way to the World Cup final. While the Vatreni lost 4-2 to France, it was still a historic achievement by a side who had previously managed to shock everyone by finishing in third spot back in 1998, but since then had not made much progress on the world stage.
As a result, the Eastern European nation have now vaulted up the rankings into fourth spot, which is their second highest placing since achieving third spot in 1999, and the team's skipper, Luka Modric is viewed by some as a serious contender to finally end the duopoly in the Ballon d'Or battle that has been centered around Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo for the past decade.
However, Croatia do not come into this game in the best of form. Since losing the final, they have failed to win their last two games (D1, L1), and their recent game saw them crushed 6-0 by Spain. That certainly will have deflated their confidence, and they will be taking on an England side determined for revenge after Croatia ended their World Cup ambitions in the semi-finals earlier this summer.
England, meanwhile, also had a very impressive World Cup in Russia, ultimately finishing in fourth spot and are presently ranked in sixth spot as per FIFA. They come into this game having earned a gritty 1-0 win over Switzerland in a friendly, but that marks their first win since losing to Croatia, as they also lost to Belgium in the consolation match and were defeated by Spain in the Nations League.
Still, their form is slightly better than Croatia's at the moment - on paper at least - and they could use revenge as an added motivation. The question is, will it pay off?
How have England and Croatia done so far in the UEFA Nations League?
Neither team have impressed, to say the least, but arguably, Croatia have done much worse, based on their results so far. Both the Three Lions and the Vatreni come into this game with zero points but Spain do have an advantage, having played two matches versus England's one. Croatia also have only played one game, and both sides have lost to La Furia Roja, who have picked up six points and are looking quite comfortable to end up as the winners of their group.
England's loss, however, was not as embarrassing, as they were beaten 2-1, which sees them sitting in second spot in this trio coming into this contest. Croatia, by contrast, were humiliated 6-0, which is their worst ever result since becoming an independent nation and raises some major questions as the Vatreni are especially keen on proving their run to the World Cup finals was not just a mere fluke.
A win for either side could certainly shake things up, however, as England are due to face Spain next week.
Head to head stats: Croatia vs England
The most recent meeting between Croatia and England ended as a 2-1 win for the Vatreni, with Mario Mandzukić netting an extra-time goal to send his side through to the finals. Here is how the two sides compare in terms of their head to head record.
Games played: 8
Croatia wins: 3
Draws: 1
England wins: 4
DID YOU KNOW: Croatia were the first team to beat England at the new Wembley Stadium when they defeated the Three Lions 3-2 on November 21, 2007 during a EURO 2008 qualifier.
Croatia vs England - Absentees
Both sides will have quite a few players out for this contest, but it's the hosts who have been hit harder by injuries. Croatia will be missing the likes of Duje Čop, Marcelo Brozović, Ivan Strinić, Lovre Kalinić, Šime Vrsaljko, and Borna Barišić all due to injury. Although veterans like Liverpool's Dejan Lovren and Eintracht Frankfurt's Ante Rebić are back in the fold, the fact that fellow World Cup team members Brozović, Strinić, and Vrsaljko are all out is certainly a major blow for Zlatko Dalic's team selection.
That being said, Croatia will be playing at home and will be fully backed by what will be certainly a loud and eager home support who will be looking to make things very uncomfortable for the visiting Three Lions. The Vatreni know that they, too, need to pick up all three points here if they want to revive their Nations League campaign, and a home fixture is the perfect way to turn things around.
England, meanwhile, will be without the services of Luke Shaw after the Manchester United defender suffered another injury setback, as well as Danny Rose and Burnley's James Tarkowski. Other from that, however, Southgate is fortunate to have everyone else of note available for this upcoming crunch clash.
TV and streaming broadcasts
In the USA, Croatia vs England will be shown on both ESPN+ and ESPN2. Spanish speakers have a plethora of options available, including Univision Radio, Univision Deportes En Vivo, Univision NOW, UniMás, and Univision Deportes.
In the UK, Three Lions supporters can follow the team via a slew of choices, including Sky Sports Main Event, SKY GO Extra, BBC Radio 5 Live, and TalkSport Radio UK.
In Croatia, the game will be shown on Nova TV.
If you live elsewhere, here are the TV and streaming viewing options for your country:
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
