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Remind me next time

Group A4 hangs in the balance with Spain, Croatia and England all capable of topping the league with just one match remaining.

It was 0-0 last month in an eerie, behind closed doors Croatian setting with England unfortunate not to wrap up all three points to allow them to wrap up the group with their 3-2 win away in Spain.

This a must win (or goaless draw for pedantics) for England if they want to avoid relegation from Group A4. A win for either team will send the other country packing while booking their place in the final for next year, but a score draw will be just as impact as a loss.

Head-to-head records decide the group positions, so if Croatia score away from home then the match ends in a draw, England are the team relegated due to the 0-0 score line from October. A goalless draw would save England on goal difference, but they wouldn’t be going to the Nations League final in June.

Looking ahead to Sunday’s tasty encounter, Jonathon Hague has Nations League tips and analysis from England v Croatia at Wembley.

England v Croatia

(Sun, 14:00)

Match Preview

England to win @ 19/20 - BET NOW

England’s young guns fired the Three Lions to victory as Gareth Southgate’s side brushed aside the pre-match debate regarding Wayne Rooney’s 120th cap.

Wayne Rooney’s England send off felt like a metaphor for the end of the old England as it finally passed the baton to this new side to thrive and grow.

A first start and assist for Borussia Dortmund’s Jadon Sancho and a first cap and goal for Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson have added to the arsenal of options in the England setup giving Gareth Southgate plenty to think about going into Sunday’s match.

An impressive display from Trent Alexander-Arnold shows another option on the right-hand side that will benefit the Three Lions for years to come and perhaps force the likes of Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier to raise their games as the Liverpool youngster continues his rapid progression.

The biggest conundrum for Southgate will be his centre-back three following a nervy debut from Brighton’s Lewis Dunk against the USA. While Harry Maguire is on the side lines, the options at the back are limited as Kyle Walker is already playing out of position due to the shortage of players who can play in this defence.

Misplaced passes and a couple forced errors created by Dortmund’s Christian Pulisic fed Dunk’s critics about whether he is able to take the step up to International level. The jury is still out on this one.

Harry Kane will need to be on form in this game as the Tottenham striker has failed to score in an England jersey since the infamous last 16 World Cup victory against Colombia. While he might not be having his strongest season, the 2018 Golden Boot winner in the World Cup still has 10 goals in 16 appearances for his club.

The link up with Rashford, Sterling and now Sancho will be vital to creating chances from open play, a real struggle for this England team under Gareth Southgate.

The aim for this England team will be to reach the last four of the competition and look to go on to be the first ever Nations League Champions; the boost this would give the country going into the 2020 Euros would be huge.

Croatia to win @ 3/1 - BET NOW

The celebrations following Croatia’s last dash winner against Spain demonstrated the seriousness countries are showing the Nations League and Sunday’s match is far from a foregone conclusion.

Not only did this save Croatia from relegation but it has kept this group wide open. All three teams in Group A4 have a chance of qualification on Sunday.

Five goals in one half show that Croatia are both strong going forward, that they haven’t forgotten the resilience and mental strength that propelled them to the World Cup final following extra time after every knockout game; but they have plenty of weakness in defence that this pacey England side can exploit.

Unlikely hero, Tin Jedvaj from Bayern Leverkusen inspired Croatia last gasp comeback in a fiery clash to score the first brace in his short career.

While Mario Manduzkic is no longer the goalscorer extraordinaire in the Red and White checks, the likes of Andrej Kramaric, Ian Perisic and Ante Rebic offer plenty going forward.

Not to mention possibly one of the strongest midfielder trios in International football of Luka Modric, Ivan Rakitic and Marcelo Brozovic – England will know how strong this Croatia side can be and will be looking to nullify their threat as they did in the match in October.

England v Croatia Betting Tips

Over/Under

Over 2.5 goals @ 4/5 – BET NOW

As both teams iron out defensive issues, a high scoring game in a super-charged match look like a major possibility and the bookmakers are in agreeance.

The Blazers have seen at least three goals in six of their last eight matches stretching back to their World Cup quarter-final with Russia in July.

Croatia have leaked seven goals in three Nations League matches and currently sit on a -5 goal difference. Their 0-0 draw against England is a huge anomaly in their recent results and the only time Croatia have kept a clean sheet since their 3-0 demolition of Argentina in the World Cup group stages.

Result and Both Team to Score

England @ 11/4 – BET NOW

It could be too close to call this match. Back in October if it wasn’t for clear cut chances being missed by Raheem Sterling and Marcus Rashford this group would have been dead and buried after England’s win against Spain just four days later.

Despite this, Croatia’s empathic win against Spain on Thursday night has given the World Cup silver spoon winners momentum going into Sunday afternoon’s meeting.

Croatia know that if they score, England must win which gives them the advantage but if anything has changed in recent months with England, it’s been their mental strength.

In previous years, I would predict England to bottle this match but on their recent form since the World Cup, you have to back an England victory. The progression shown by Gareth Southgate’s side since the World Cup has proved that the Summer was no fluke or luck of the draw. Back an England win with BTTS for a strong best-price of 11/4 from a number of bookmakers.

England's home record is nothing to be sniffed at either. Bat their 2-0 loss to Spain in the opening Nations League match, the last time the Three Lions lost on home soil was back in 2015 against Netherlands. 

Form

England

MatchResultDate
England v USA3 - 015/11/2018
Spain v England2 - 315/10/2018
Croatia v England0 - 012/10/2018
England v Switzerland1 - 011/09/2018
England v Spain1 - 208/09/2018
Belgium v England2 - 014/07/2018

 

Croatia

MatchResultDate
Croatia v Spain3 - 215/11/2018
Croatia v Jordan2 - 115/10/2018
Croatia v England0 - 012/10/2018
Spain v Croatia6 - 011/09/2018
Portugal v Croatia1 - 106/09/2018
France v Croatia4 - 215/07/2018

 

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