England vs Croatia: UEFA Nations League – preview, team news, predictions

Who: England vs Croatia What: UEFA Nations League, Group A3 Where: Wembley Stadium, London, United Kingdom When: Thursday, November 12 , at 8:45pm (19:45 GMT). How to follow: Al Jazeera Sport will bring you all the build-up from 16:45 GMT ahead of our live text commentary stream

Harry Kane will lead with a spring in his step and a newly acquired Ballon d’Or trophy on his arm as England host Croatia in a Nations League clash, with a spot in the quarterfinals up for grabs.

The England captain will be man of the hour on Thursday after a prolific few weeks that saw him win the coveted individual honour and he will present the trophy in front of home fans ahead of the match at Wembley Stadium.

Kane, 33, will also become England’s most-capped men’s player, making his 126th appearance. This surpasses the record set in 1990 by former goalkeeper Peter Shilton, who will be in attendance to mark the occasion.

The Bayern Munich forward is also England’s record scorer with 91 goals.

“Definitely up there with the biggest [achievements of my career],” England captain Kane told reporters at former club Tottenham Hotspur’s training ground on Wednesday after being given a standing ovation when he entered the room.

“It showcases consistency at the highest level and to reach the number of caps I have is a testament to the things I spoke about in my [Ballon d’Or] speech behind the scenes, the dedication, and for sure it is one of the biggest milestones of my career.”

Tuchel said Kane was the “perfect captain and a leader by example” and described his playing style as unique, adding that he is getting smarter with age.

Manager Tuchel also said he has no intention of leaving the England job before the 2028 European Championship regardless of any offers from major clubs.

England only need a draw to make it to the quarterfinals having won three and lost one of their four games so far. They sit second with nine points behind leaders Spain with 12 points, and both teams should make it to the last eight.

Croatia are seeking redemption after a 7-0 thrashing from England in their previous encounter last month, followed by a narrower 2-1 defeat to Spain.

The 2018 World Cup runners-up are third in the group, and manager Slaven Bilic emphasised the importance of finishing third to maintain their Nations League A status.

Czechia, meanwhile, have only won once and cannot reach the quarterfinals.

England will travel to Madrid to face world champions Spain on Sunday while Croatia take on Czechia in a home fixture.

A major talking point for England’s squad selection was the exclusion of midfielder Cole Palmer. But a more captivating storyline is that of Jobe Bellingham finally playing alongside older brother and England star Jude.

The younger Bellingham received his maiden senior call-up after impressing at Borussia Dortmund and England’s under-21 side, which he captains.

Jude had previously said it would be the highlight of his career, while Jobe said it would be an emotional milestone.

“I can’t ignore it, but obviously with Jude being here too, it’s a great, great feeling for the family,” Jobe said.

If he features against Croatia, they will be the 22nd set of brothers to play for England and the first since Gary and Phil Neville in 2007.

England ran riot in Rijeka last month to obliterate Croatia 7-0 thanks to a brace each from Kane and Bukayo Saka, while Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers were also on target.

Tuchel’s men took just eight minutes to go ahead with an incisive raid that exposed the talent gap between the sides.

“It was the highest level from everyone and from first to last minute as well,” Tuchel said, summing up his side’s dominance.

Tuchel: “For us, it’s important not to chase the same result … we want to win the match to have a chance to win in Spain, and that’s where our focus is. We expect a reaction from Croatia and we expect to overcome this mental challenge for us to start from scratch.”

Bilic: “I told the players that the way we played against Spain last month is our standard. That is how we want to play, with togetherness, aggression and everything else. Tomorrow we have a chance to show that what happened in Rijeka was just a collective bad day.”

The Opta supercomputer heavily favours England, with a win probability of 67.2 percent.

Croatia were assigned a mere 14.8 percent chance, while a draw was estimated at an 18 percent likelihood.

England will be without defenders Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence — both expected to recover for Sunday’s clash against Spain — and Tuchel is looking at James Hill for cover.

Marc Guehi is out with a hip injury and has been replaced by Dan Burn. Jarrad Branthwaite, Jarell Quansah and Ben White could all be in contention at centre-back.

Saka, who scored twice in Rijeka, was not named in the squad because of a quadriceps injury that is set to keep him out for weeks.

Myles Lewis-Skelly is suspended after being booked in both games against Czechia, while Declan Rice, back after missing the last camp, should partner Elliot Anderson in midfield.

Veteran winger Ivan Perisic will miss the match after receiving a red card against Spain.

Josip Sutalo, Marin Pongracic, Andrej Kramaric and Franjo Ivanovic are also unavailable, with Luka Vuskovic and Duje Caleta-Car expected to start against England’s attack.

Luka Sucic has a fever and is almost certain to miss the game, while Kristijan Jakic is reported to be out of both Nations League games with a knee ligament injury.