England vs. Croatia Odds, Picks & Predictions - Group L, 06/17

The opening matches of group play in the 2026 World Cup continues with a Group L matchup as England takes on Croatia Wednesday afternoon and we have you covered with our England vs. Croatia prediction. England blanked Costa Rica 3-0 in their final international friendly ahead of the World Cup in their previous match last Wednesday. Croatia downed Slovenia 2-1 in their final international friendly last Sunday. Croatia earned a 2-1 win in the lone World Cup meeting between the teams, which came in a semifinal matchup on July 11, 2018. Let’s break down this England vs. Croatia matchup.

Don’t forget to check out all the World Cup odds as the tournament progresses!

England Looks to Live Up to Favorites Role

England obliterated the competition in qualification UEFA Group K as they rolled to eight wins in as many matches. In addition, the Three Lions obliterated their opponents as they owned a 22-0 scoring margin in those contests. England logs their 17th World Cup appearance and their eighth straight as they take the pitch here. They last missed the World Cup back in 1994. The Three Lions own a record of 32 wins, 22 draws and 20 losses in World Cup play entering this contest. England went into the World Cup ranked fourth in the FIFA world rankings.

Against Costa Rica, England dominated their overmatched opponent and rolled to a victory. The Three Lions owned more than a four-to-one advantage in possession in the contest. In addition, England dominated in shot attempts (28-1) and shots on goal (8-0) in the victory. Declan Rice opened the scoring with a goal in the ninth minute of play. Anthony Gordon assisted on the goal, which was the lone marker of the first half. Gordon made it a 2-0 score with a penalty kick in the 68th minute. Ollie Watkins closed the scoring in the 87th minute on a header from in close.

Jordan Pickford projects for his 13th start in World Cup play here. He owns a record of seven wins, one draw and four losses in those contests. In addition, Pickford has four clean sheets in those outings. Pickford has nine wins and two losses in 11 World Cup qualifying matches in his career. Meanwhile, he has nine clean sheets in those matches.

Croatia Hoping Veteran Leaders Carry Them to Success

Croatia punched their ticket to the World Cup as they won qualification UEFA Group L with a record of seven wins, one draw and no losses. The Vatreni steamrolled their opponents by a 26-4 margin during their group qualification stage. Croatia makes their seventh World Cup appearance overall and their fourth consecutive here. The Vatreni hold an all-time record of 13 wins, eight draws and nine losses in World Cup action. They look to follow up their recent runs after finishing as the runner-up in 2018 and in third p\ace in 2022. Croatia entered the World Cup ranked 11th in the latest FIFA world rankings.

Against Slovenia, Croatia had the upper hand in most of the categories in the match but needed a tally in stoppage time to earn the win. The Vatreni owned a two-to-one edge in terms of possession in the match. Croatia also held a 22-13 edge in shot attempts and a 6-4 margin in shots on goal in the match. The teams traded opportunities in the first half but the match was scoreless at halftime. Early in the second half, Luka Modric opened the scoring in the 51st minute off an assist from Ivan Perisic. The Vatreni gave up the tying goal in the 83rd minute of play. In the third minute of stoppage time, Mario Pasalic tallied the winner off a headed pass from Josip Stanisic. The contest ended a coup\e minutes later, sending Croatia to victory.

Dominik Livaković makes his eighth career start between the sticks for Croatia in World Cup p\ay here. He has a record of two wins, four draws and one loss with two clean sheets to his credit. In World Cup qualifying, Livaković has nine wins, three draws and one loss in 13 starts with eight clean sheets.

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England vs. Croatia Prediction

England has high hopes this go-round as Thomas Tuchel looks to lead them to their first World Cup title since 1966. The Three Horses are going to be tested here as Croatia is no pushover by any stretch of the imagination. Croatia is a veteran, experienced side and reached the final four in each of the last two World Cups. The Three Lions still remember that loss in 2018 and they have the scoring punch to win this one. England should get the victory in this contest but it's one that goes to the wire. The safer bet here is taking the under as this has all the makings of a 1-0 or 1-1 type of contest.

Our Prediction: England ML (FanDuel, -140)

Our Prediction: Under 2.5 Goals (FanDuel, -142)

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