England vs Croatia Preview
England looked solid in back-to-back friendly victories before the 2026 World Cup and talisman Harry Kane is in top form. The Three Lions can seal an opening match win and Kane is tipped to score against leaky Croatia.
7 Goals in 5 for Harry Kane
- England have won their last 2 matches.
- England’s Harry Kane has scored 7 goals in his last 5 games for club and country.
- Croatia have lost 2 of their last 3 games.
H2H - England Advantage
England have a 6-3 advantage against Croatia, alongside two draws.
England in Strong Form Under Tuchel
England have impressed since Thomas Tuchel’s arrival in 2025, with 11 wins from 14 games.
The Three Lions had a perfect World Cup qualifying campaign, winning all eight matches and scoring 22 goals. Harry Kane was England’s top scorer in qualifying, netting eight goals.
Tuchel’s side won both of their World Cup warm-up matches and Kane scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over New Zealand.
England then cruised to a 3-0 win over Costa Rica. Declan Rice, Anthony Gordon and Ollie Watkins scored and the Three Lions dominated with 4.91 XG.
Croatia Struggled With World Cup Preparations
Zlatko Dalic’s Croatia booked their spot at the 2026 World Cup after winning qualifying Group L.
The Vatreni went unbeaten in all eight matches and followed the qualification campaign with a 2-1 win over Colombia.
Croatia couldn’t maintain momentum and lost back-to-back friendlies against Brazil 3-1 and Belgium 2-0. They allowed 11 shots on target in both defeats.
The European outfit bounced back with a 2-1 friendly win against Slovenia. Croatia allowed 1,95 XG and second-half goals from Luka Modric and Mario Pasalic secured the victory.
Predicted Starting Lineups & Team News
England (4-2-3-1): Jordan Pickford; Reece James, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Nico O'Reilly;
Elliot Anderson, Declan Rice; Noni Madueke, Jude Bellingham, Marcus Rashford; Harry Kane
England have no injuries or suspensions.
Winger Bukayo Saka could miss out due to a lack of fitness. Thomas Tuchel provided a recent update on the Arsenal forward’s condition and said, "We still have to take a little bit of care for Bukayo, who had an injury in March and carried it through the club campaign.
"He made himself available at the end of the season and did so brilliantly, but he was managed in between matches. That continues a bit at the moment - we are building him up.”
Croatia (4-2-3-1): Dominik Livakovic; Josip Stanisic, Martin Erlic, Marin Pongracic, Joskov Gvardiol; Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic; Mario Pasalic, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic; Ante Budimir
Duje Caleta-Car was absent for Croatia’s warm-up games due to injury. The defender has since returned to training and is likely to make the squad against England.