England VS Croatia Match Prediction
2018-11-18
14:00:00
England
VS
Croatia
Our Prediction Tip
England will win this match.
2018-11-1814:00:00 England will win this match.
England and Croatia have met nine times so far, and results have been very tight so far. England have the edge right now with four wins, two draws, and three losses. Here's a look at the last five results:
Oct 12, 2018: Croatia 0-0 England
Jul 11, 2018: Croatia 2-1 (ET) England (WC)
Sep 9, 2009: England 5-1 Croatia (WCQ)
Sep 10, 2008: Croatia 1-4 England (WCQ)
Nov 21, 2007: England 2-3 Croatia (ECQ)
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Bet365 have the following odds available for this match:
England are at 19/20 to win, a draw is at 5/2 , and a Croatia win is at 11/4.
The complexion of this group is very interesting, yet it is simple to break down. The two sides meet here with each having earned four points so far (via wins over Spain and a draw against the other). They are thus two points behind Spain as it currently sits. That means the winner of this match, if there is one, will be the winners of the group and make it to the Finals of the tournament. However, if the draw does take place, Spain will top the group despite not having a chance to impact the table on the final day. A draw also makes it a little complicated since both teams have four points. If there is a score draw (1-1, 2-2, etc.), England would be relegated to League B due to losing out on the away goals tiebreaker in the head-to-head with their visitors. But Croatia would go down if they drew 0-0 again due to having a goal difference that is behind England's.
England and Croatia have each had banner years for their national teams. England made it to the semi-finals and have had nine wins, a penalty win, two draws, and four losses in the past year. Since losing to Spain in September, they have three wins and a draw, coming against Croatia, so they are in good form. Croatia, meanwhile have eight wins, two on penalties, two draws, and four losses this year. Since a rut that saw the lose the World Cup Final and then also lose 6-0 at Spain, they have a draw and two wins to kick back into form.
No for both teams scoring is at 7/10 at Ladbrokes.
Betfair has Kane to score first at 4.0 odds.
England have the ball in their court now. They can show that their run to the World Cup semi-finals was not a fluke by winning here, and they will just about pinch it to make it to the Nations League Finals.
Gareth Southgate gave many of the younger guys a chance to play in the friendly win against the USA, but the starters should come back into this one with all the marbles on the line. Right back Kieran Trippier, who scored the free kick against the Croats in Russia, and striker Danny Welbeck are two of the men that will miss out through injury, while other players like midfielders James Maddison and Mason Mount have been left out this time around.
The win over Spain last month that gave England the chance to go on and compete to win this group was dominated in large part by two men: Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling. Sterling, usually the provider, scored twice to help them race out to a 3-0 lead inside the first 40 minutes. Kane, meanwhile, assisted twice, once to Sterling, to show that his game is not just all about scoring goals. Marcus Rashford also had a goal and an assist as they showed real chemistry together that night.
England have three wins, a draw, and a loss in their last five matches:
3-0 home win vs USA (Fri)
2-3 win at Spain (UNL)
0-0 draw at Croatia (UNL)
1-0 home win vs Switzerland (Fri)
1-2 home loss vs Spain (UNL)
Zlatko Dalic is likely to keep with much of the same side that just defeated Croatia, so England will have a slight edge fitness-wise due to being able to rest during their friendly on Thursday. However, he still has a strong team to pick from. That team will not include injured defenders Ivan Strinic, Josip Pivaric or Borna Barisic. Striker Mario Mandzukic has retired, as well as veteran defender Vedran Corluka.
When the two sides met in Russia back in the summer, it looked like England would hold out for a 1-0 victory. But it wasn't meant to be as Ivan Perisic changed the plans and equalized. Eventually they won in extra time, but it wouldn't have been possible without the punchy winger. The other to watch is Tin Jedvaj. And not for his scoring, either despite his two goals against Spain to help them win on Thursday, but rather because of his defensive play. How will he cope with the dynamic runners from the Three Lions could dictate the result.
Croatia have two wins, two draws, and a loss in their last five matches:
3-2 home win vs Spain (UNL)
2-1 home win vs Jordan (Fri)
0-0 home draw vs England (UNL)
6-0 loss at Spain (UNL)
1-1 draw at Portugal (Fri)
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