England face Croatia on Thursday night at Wembley knowing there can be no slip up if they want to catch group leaders Spain in the UEFA Nations League. Thomas Tuchel’s side sits in second place in Group A3 and needs to avoid defeat against Croatia to secure a quarter-final spot.
Match Preview and Team News
Harry Kane is on the brink of history as he prepares to equal Peter Shilton’s record of 125 caps or surpass it by featuring at Wembley. Fresh from winning the 2026 Ballon d’Or, Kane leads an England side that finished third at the World Cup in the summer. England opened their Nations League campaign with a 3-2 defeat to Spain at Wembley, but bounced back by beating Czechia twice and thrashing Croatia 7-0 in October. To win the group, England must beat both Croatia and Spain while achieving a superior goal difference over the world champions.
Tuchel faces defensive selection dilemmas following multiple withdrawals. Marc Guéhi pulled out with a hip injury sustained during Manchester City’s defeat to Nottingham Forest, prompting a call-up for Newcastle’s Dan Burn. Ezri Konsa will also miss the fixture, though he is expected to return for the Spain match, while Bournemouth’s James Hill earned his first senior call-up. Tuchel must choose between Burn, Hill, or moving Jarell Quansah into the centre to accommodate Ben White or Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back. Goalkeepers Jordan Pickford and James Trafford will share duties across the two matches, with the experienced Everton player likely saved for the Spain clash. The squad features four uncapped players in Hill, Josh King, Jason Steele, and Jobe Bellingham, who joins his brother Jude in the senior setup, while Cole Palmer and Phil Foden were left out. Croatia will be missing the suspended Ivan Perisic alongside injured players Josip Sutalo, Martin Pongracic, Andrej Kramaric, Franjo Ivanovic, and Kristijan Jakic, while 41-year-old Luka Modrić remains their key player.
Expected Line-ups and Match Details
The expected England starting line-up features Trafford in goal, with a defence of White, Quansah, Hill, and Hall, a midfield trio of Rice, Anderson, and Bellingham, and an attack consisting of Ngumoha, Gordon, and Kane. Croatia is expected to line up with Livakovic; Stanisic, Vuskovic, Caleta-Car, Gvardiol; Modric, Kovacic; Vlasic, Mario Pasalic, Baturina; and Budimir.
England has won eight of 13 historical meetings against Croatia, with Croatia winning three and two ending in draws. England has only failed to score in one Nations League game at Wembley, a 1-0 defeat to Denmark in 2020, and their 14 goals across four games is the most in any Nations League division. Croatia’s 7-0 loss in Rijeka last month stands as their heaviest defeat in a senior men’s international.
The match kicks off at 7:45 pm GMT on Thursday, November 12, at Wembley Stadium, with live television coverage on ITV1 and streaming via ITVX in the UK, and on FOX Sports at 2:45 pm ET in the US.
