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England begin their World Cup campaign in Texas carrying the expectations that always seem to follow them into major tournaments.
Ranked 4th in the FIFA standings, the Three Lions arrive after a perfect qualification campaign and consecutive clean-sheet victories over Costa Rica and New Zealand.
Croatia, ranked 11th, may not attract the same attention as they did a few years ago, but writing them off would be a mistake.
Croatia have developed a habit of delivering when the World Cup comes around.
They reached the final in 2018 and followed that by reaching the semi-finals in 2022, proving once again that they are capable of raising their level on football’s biggest stage.
England’s defensive numbers look impressive at first glance, but recent results require some context.
Their last two victories came against Costa Rica and New Zealand, while the toughest opponents they have faced in recent months were Japan and Uruguay.
Japan left with a 1-0 victory, while Uruguay earned a 1-1 draw.
Croatia represent a different level of challenge compared to most teams England have faced since qualification.
The Croatians have scored in eight of their last ten matches, finding the net against Brazil, Colombia, Montenegro, Slovenia and several other opponents.
Their only failures to score during that period came against Belgium and the Czech Republic.
Even in defeat against Brazil, Croatia managed to create chances and get on the scoresheet against one of the strongest teams in the world.
England remain deserved favourites, but Croatia rarely make life easy for elite nations.
Croatia have consistently shown they can compete with elite nations, particularly at major tournaments where they often outperform expectations.
Croatia only need one goal to land this selection.
Considering their recent scoring record and the step up in opposition England are facing compared to their recent friendlies, Croatia Over 0.5 Goals looks like a strong option in this Group L opener.
This FIFA World Cup prediction is for guidance only and we are not responsible for your bets.
Croatia have scored 19 goals across their last ten matches and found the net in eight of them.
Yes. Croatia reached the 2018 World Cup final and the 2022 semi-finals.
England kept clean sheets against Costa Rica and New Zealand, but also conceded against Japan and Uruguay in recent fixtures.
Croatia have scored against strong opponents such as Brazil and Colombia and only need one goal for this selection to win.
Croatia defeated England in the semi-finals of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
