Read our prediction for Croatia vs England below. This preview was written by a sport journalist who is specialised in betting tips and predictions.
Croatia vs England Prediction & Betting tips
Croatia hosts England on Saturday, October 3, 2026, in a crucial UEFA Nations League Group A3 clash. Both teams have collected three points from their opening two rounds, aiming to keep pace with the group leader, Spain. A key detail is that the match will be played behind closed doors at the HNK Rijeka Stadium due to UEFA sanctions imposed on Croatian fans. The last official meeting between the two took place just this summer, at the June 2026 World Cup, where England secured a spectacular 4–2 victory. In fact, Croatia has not beaten England in their last four head-to-head encounters. Analysts and bookmakers favor England (with Opta calculating a 48.6% probability of victory). Given the attacking mindset of both teams and slight defensive vulnerabilities, experts anticipate an open match, with the tip recommended by most platforms being “Both teams to score and Over 2.5 goals.”
Croatia:
The national team, now led by Slaven Bilić, is coming off a crushing 4–1 defeat against Spain, though they opened their group campaign with a 2–1 victory over the Czech Republic. The “Vatreni” are looking to address the defensive fragility they have shown in recent months. Brighton defender Luka Vušković and legendary midfielder Luka Modrić (41) are expected to return to the starting lineup after being substitutes against Spain. The hosts will be without Martin Erlić and Josip Juranović but welcome back Josip Stanišić.
Croatia (4-2-3-1): Livaković – Stanišić, Šutalo, Vušković, Gvardiol – Kovačić, Sučić – Pašalić, Baturina, Perišić – Musa.
England:
Thomas Tuchel’s squad lost their opener against Spain (3-2) but quickly bounced back with a clinical 2-0 away victory over the Czech Republic. The English side is in excellent away form, boasting a run of eight consecutive wins on the road across all competitions. Tuchel confirmed that Jordan Pickford will return in goal, replacing James Trafford as part of a rotation strategy. Ezri Konsa has trained normally and is fit to play, while Jude Bellingham also returns to the starting lineup. However, the list of players sidelined by injury is long: Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo, Tino Livramento, and Nico O’Reilly.
England (4-2-3-1): Pickford – Alexander-Arnold, Konsa, Branthwaite (or Guéhi), Hall – Anderson, Scott – Saka, Bellingham, Gordon – Kane.
Croatia vs England head to head matches
17.06.2026 England – Croatia 4:2
13.06.2021 England – Croatia 1:0
18.11.2018 England – Croatia 2:1
12.10.2018 Croatia – England 0:0
11.07.2018 Croatia – England 2:1
* Our advice is: BTS / YES
* Selection odd for this bet is: 1.65
* This analyis is from our perspective and we highly recommend to inform also yourself about all details that can be decisive in your choise to bet!
