Soccer predictions online for England – Croatia

You are once again with our soccer predictions online, so let’s take our attention to the Euro 2020 fixture between England and Croatia from Group D of the competition. This game will be played at the Wembley Stadium in London on June 13. Let’s take a look.

For England’s talented generation, this is another chance to win the first trophy for the nation since 1966. Managed by Gareth Southgate, England currently has one of the finest teams in Europe before the beginning of the competition. But sometimes it’s not enough to win the trophy, you need the right mentality as well. Is England mentally strong enough to become a European champion? We shall see that.

Yesterday Gareth Southgate announced a 26-man squad for the Euro 2020. Some notable players were cut from the provisional list – players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jesse Lingard, James Ward-Prowse, and Ollie Watkins. Manchester United’s Mason Greenwood didn’t find a place in the team as well.

From the beginning, Gareth Southgate was not sure about including Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold in the squad. He’s one of the best right-backs in England right now, but Alexander-Arnold had a difficult season with Liverpool in 2020/21. Because of this, Southgate chose to rely on Manchester City’s Kyle Walker, Atletico Madrid’s Kieran Trippier, and Chelsea’s Reece James. It was a difficult decision, but sometimes these decisions are part of the game.

Despite the absence of these few players, England’s squad is still filled with talent, though. Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell and Mason Mount just won the Champions League with the Blues, while Manchester City’s John Stones had a terrific season in defense. Borussia Dortmund’s Jude Bellingham was a revelation despite being just 17-years old, while Manchester City’s Phil Foden proved to be one of the best talents in Europe at the moment. Jadon Sancho and Bukayo Saka complete the exciting group of young talents in Gareth Southgate’s list.

England’s captain Harry Kane and Manchester United’s Harry Maguire are the two obvious leaders in this England squad. Kane is rumored to leave Tottenham Hotspur this summer, so a strong performance at the Euro could make even more clubs interested in him. At the same time, Maguire is the man who leads England’s defense by example. He’s always crucial when he’s on the team.

Raheem Sterling’s shape remains a little problem for Southgate. Sterling is a very talented winger and an essential player for England, but this season was difficult for him. Most of the time, he was at the bench for City despite surprisingly starting in the Champions League final against Chelsea. We expect to see him accepting a bench role at the Euro and eventually coming in the second half to bring a change.

We believe we have an idea of how this England team will be structured in midfield. Chelsea’s Mason Mount, West Ham’s Declan Rice, and Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson are favorites to take the three spots in the midfield area, but Leeds’ Kalvin Phillips can also be relied on. He had a terrific campaign in the Premier League under the management of Marcelo Bielsa.

Gareth Southgate’s most significant problem before facing Croatia is the condition of Harry Maguire. The influential center-back is facing some tight race to be ready for the game. Maguire is still recovering from an injury, and he even missed Manchester United’s Europa League final against Villarreal last month. If Maguire is not ready to face the Blazers, Tyrone Mings would be the man to replace him in the starting eleven for the Three Lions.

Croatia is not a team that needs a special introduction. The Blazers became runners-up in the previous World Cup in Russia when they reached the final of the competition for the first time in their history. What the manager Zlatko Dalic and his players did was absolutely historic and they became heroes of the nation forever. But it’s in the past now – Croatia must prove themselves once again at the most prominent football stages.

The head coach Zlatko Dalic chose to keep the players’ core from the World Cup, so he didn’t make many changes in the last three years. Some things are different now, though.

Two of Croatia’s 2018 heroes are not on the team anymore. Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic chose to put an end to their international careers so that they will support their former teammates outside the pitch.

The Blazers lost just one time during their Euro 2020 qualifying campaign, so they topped their group ahead of Wales and Slovakia. Croatia’s performances during the campaign were not always at the highest levels, but they had the luck to be in a group without any other European powerhouses. Zlatko Dalic is aware his team must improve the way it plays at the Euro, though.

Yesterday Croatia played a friendly game in Velika Gorica before the European Championship. The World Cup runners-up faced Armenia, but the game surprisingly ended with a 1-1 draw. The veteran Ivan Perisic opened the score for the hosts, but Angulo equalized for the Armenians in the second half.

Against Armenia, Croatia once again used their favorite 4-3-3 formation. Perisic, Kramaric, and Brekalo started in attack while Vlasic, Brozovic, and Modric had to perform in the midfield area. In the second half, Zlatko Dalic put on the pitch some well-known names like Mario Pasalic, Bruno Petkovic, Ante Rebic, and Milan Badelj. At the same time, Dejan Lovren and Ante Budimir remained on the bench. In their next friendly, Croatia will have a much bigger challenge as they are going to face Belgium.

That’s the soccer predictions online for the Euro 2020 clash between England and Croatia at Wembley. Three years ago, it was Croatia who eliminated England from the World Cup 1/2-finals, so you can be sure the Three Lions will be motivated for a payback. But sometimes, just desire is not enough – you have to show it on the pitch why you are better than your opponent. One thing is for sure – two of the best European teams will go head to head at Wembley.