England vs Croatia: English to take an easy three points

England and Croatia have only met once at UEFA EURO, with England winning 4-2. Will Gareth Southgate’s side be able to win again? We predict that the English will leave the Croatians no chance of success!

The England team were seriously rejuvenated before the last major tournament, which did not prevent them from reaching the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup. Since then, the backbone of the national team has remained the same, but some even younger guys have emerged, so the competition remains very high. Gareth Southgate’s side have made great progress ahead of UEFA EURO 2020. England beat San Marino, Albania and Poland 9-1 on aggregate in qualifying for the 2022 World Cup, and they also beat Austria and Romania 1-0 on aggregate in friendlies in June. England will be one of the main favourites for the continental championship.

The Croatian national team was a finalist at the last World Cup. Possibly because of that, the Checkered Ones have slowed down a little after the World Cup, but they qualified for UEFA EURO 2020 without too much trouble, finishing first in their group. Alas, currently, Zlatko Dalic’s charges are not in the best of form, having won just two games in the last nine, beating Cyprus and Malta 1-0 and 3-0 respectively, with the Croats drawing twice more and losing five times. That’s quite a performance for a 2018 World Cup finalist.

England and Croatia have had several dramatic games in recent years in which the Checkered Ones have been stronger. Just look at the Euro 2008 qualifiers and the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, where the Croats thoroughly disappointed the English. Thankfully, Gareth Southgate’s men now have a great opportunity to take revenge for those defeats, as they are in great form having won their last six games in a row by a combined total of 15-1, while the Croats have almost stopped winning. As a result, we suggest betting on England to win with a handicap (-1) at around 2.27 odds.

Croatia after the triumphant World Cup in Russia for a long time showed bright and sparkling football that did not bring them good results at all, but for the neutral fans, they gave a great spectacle every time. Alas, things have taken a turn for the worse recently, with only 8 goals scored (1.60 goals per game average) in their five previous meetings. The English are known for their pragmatism, which they confirmed on the eve of UEFA EURO 2020 when they played two friendlies with the same score of 1-0. Given this, Total Under (2) goals with the odds close to 2.14 seems to be the best option.

Harry Kane is again England’s leading goalscorer at the end of last season, with 23 goals and 14 assists. That’s a superb tally, to which you can add eight goals in eight Europa League appearances. Gareth Southgate rationed the captain’s workload ahead of UEFA EURO 2020, leaving him on the bench for the full hour against Austria and the entire game against Romania. There is no doubt that he will be in the main squad against Croatia, so it is worth looking at the bet on Harry Kane’s goal with the odds of about 2.35.