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Written by
James Wilkerson
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England start World Cup 2026 with a tough test against an experienced Croatia side. Thomas Tuchel's men will look to take a big step towards winning Group L and are 1.72 favourites with bet365 to come out on top. Croatia can be backed at 4.75 with the draw priced at 3.70.
England lost to Croatia in the semi-finals at the 2018 World Cup but did beat them in the group stage of Euro 2020. We expect England to have too much for Croatia this time around, especially given the options they have from the bench. England's defence was solid during qualifying and much could come down to if they are able to break down Croatia early in this one.
Reasons to Follow this Bet
England have one of the strongest squads at World Cup 2026
They enjoyed a perfect qualifying campaign under Thomas Tuchel scoring 20 goals and conceding zero.
Attacking options from the bench can be key for England if they don't break down Croatia early.
England haven't hit top gear in recent friendly matches but Tuchel's previous club record in knockout competitions is impressive.
England vs Croatia - Team News
England have no major injury issues but will hope John Stones is fit to take his place alongside Man City team-mate Marc Guehi at the heart of their defence. If not, espect Ezri Konsa to step in. The other major decisions for Thomas Tuchel will be if to play Morgan Rogers ahead of Jude Bellingham in the role behind Harry Kane and if it is Anthony Gordon or Marcus Rashford playing on England's left. Rogers looks ahead of Bellingham at this stage but it is a closer battle for the left wing.
Croatia will hope Mateo Kovacic, Josip Gvardiol, and Luka Modric can hit the ground running after missing recent games. All are returning after injury issues but will need to find match sharpness quickly. Maybe the biggest decision for manager Zlatko Dalic is who leads the line. They have some younger talent pushing for a starting place but Ante Budimir is likely to get the nod for the opener.
England vs Croatia Line-ups
England: Pickford - James, Stones, Guehi, O'Reilly - Rice, Anderson - Saka, Rogers, Gordon - Kane.
Croatia: Livakovic - Stanisic, Vuskovic, Sutalo, Gvardiol - Modric, Kovacic, Baturina – Kramaric, Perisic, Budimir.
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Sportsbook Expert
Betting online since 2007, James Wilkerson has a keen eye for detail when it comes sportsbooks. Primarily a football bettor, he is a huge fan of watching the matches live, and is here to give you insight from his experience.