England will kick off their Euro 2020 campaign this Sunday when they welcome Croatia to Wembley in the first match of Group D.
Stadium: Wembley Stadium (London)
Key Statistics
England have won their last six games. They have kept five clean sheets from their last six games. They have never won their opening match in any of their previous UEFA European Championship finals
Croatia have never lost their opening fixture in the European Championship. They have won just three of their last ten games. The visitors have never advanced past the quarter-final stage of the European championship.
Head to Head
England 5 wins; 2 Draws; Croatia 3 wins; England score 21 goals against 13 by Croatia (in total 10 matches).
Latest Performance
England: WWWWWW
Croatia: LDWWLL
England
After the disappointment of Russia 2018, Gareth Southgate and England are back to the international stage, looking to put behind them the past failures and bring joy to the millions of England fans who are still waiting to see them lift an international trophy.
The Three Lions are one of the teams expected to make good headlines this summer as they have one of the strongest squads this year. Ranked number four in FIFA rankings, they have the advantage of playing all their group stage matches in Wembley Stadium and will look to make maximum use of that.
The presence of fans should also be an added advantage as they look to open their Euro 2020 campaign with a win—a feat they have never achieved before.
However, Gareth Southgate’s side should head into this fixture full of confidence after winning their last six games and keeping five clean sheets. They will certainly fancy their chances here and will also have revenge in mind after their run to the World Cup final was halted by Croatia in 2018.
Harry Maguire has returned to training but will not be rushed back to the starting XI while Jordan Henderson is in the frame to start from the bench.
Possible line-ups
Jordan Pickford, Kyle Walker, John Stones, Tyrone Mings, Luke Shaw, Declan Rice, Jack Grealish, Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Harry Kane.
We obviously had the disappointment in Moscow. We’ve had two very close games since then. They are a very experienced team, with outstanding players, great mentality, incredible spirit and tactically adaptable, so they really are a big challenge for us for our first game. But we know that we have been able to beat them.
Gareth Southgate, England
Croatia
2018 World Cup finalists Croatia are back to another major tournament looking to cause the same up-set that led them to the finals in Russia. They begin their journey this time with a visit to Wembley, where they will look to break the hearts of England for the second time in a major tournament.
However, Zlatko Dalić’s side are not the same outfit they were three years ago. They are coming into the tournament off the back of five losses from their last ten games, including one over Belgium last Sunday.
However, they have a history of never losing their opening fixture in the European Championship and will be looking to continue that direction when they visit Wembley.
In a group that also has Scotland and the Czech Republic, ‘The Blazers’ look the most likely to finish second based on their ranking and general history in major tournaments.
Zlatko Dalić has no immediate injury worries and is expected to field his strongest line-up in this opening game.
Possible line-ups
Dominik Livakovic, Sime Vrsaljko, Domagoj Vida, Duje Caleta-Car, Borna Barisic, Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic, Mateo Kovacic Ante Rebic, Ivan Perisic, Bruno Petkovic.
We will pick the best team we can for this match, we have quality players and we are not afraid. We know that England are very fast, very aggressive in attack, they have top players. We will need to respond with a solid block, but also will look out for possession and try to attack, as only defending will not bring us any good.
Zlatko Dalic, Croatia
Betting Odds
England : Draw : Croatia :: 1.60 : 3.80 : 6.00
| England Goal | Croatia Goal | Betting Odds |
| 1 | 0 | 6.00 |
| 2 | 0 | 7.00 |
| 0 | 0 | 8.00 |
| 1 | 1 | 8.00 |
| 2 | 1 | 9.50 |
| 3 | 0 | 12.00 |
Prediction
England 2-0 Croatia
