vs Prediction, probable lineups, recent form & season stats

This Nations League round puts Croatia and England in the same group of League A. The tournament has only just started, so neither side has played a match yet and the useful data comes from recent outings. Croatia come in from a 1-2 World Cup defeat away to Portugal on 2 July, preceded by a 2-1 win over Ghana and a 1-0 win away to Panama; before that came the 2-4 defeat away to England and, further back, a 2-1 friendly win over Slovenia and a 0-2 friendly defeat against Belgium. That makes three wins and three defeats in the last six. England played later at the World Cup: on 18 July they won 6-4 away to France, preceded by a 1-2 defeat against Argentina on 15 July. Before that came three straight wins, 2-1 away to Norway, 3-2 away to Mexico and 2-1 against Congo DR, and further back a 2-0 win away to Panama. Over the last six they have five wins and one defeat. The head-to-head record covers five games and leans towards England: three wins, a draw and one win for Croatia. The latest meeting was the World Cup game of 17 June 2026, won 4-2 by England; before that came the 1-0 of 2021 and the 2-1 of 18 November 2018, while the 0-0 of 12 October 2018 and Croatia's 2-1 win of 11 July 2018 complete the series. The prediction may change in the hours before kick-off. Confirmed line-ups, late injuries, suspensions, rotation ahead of other fixtures and the state of the pitch and the weather can all alter the picture described above. In those cases the selection may be reviewed and updated within 12 to 24 hours of the match: this happens rarely, but when it does, the version published on this page is always the current one. The data and assessments here are provided for information and statistical purposes.