Croatia v England tips: Can England keep the dream alive?
Football’s journey home takes another step closer as England meet Croatia in the semi-final of the World Cup.
Both sides have faced a relatively straight-forward passage through to the last four. But you can only beat what’s in front of you. And England and Croatia have managed it accordingly.
Odds of 5/2 on Croatia to win in 90 minutes here underline their dark horse credentials. England are the 27/20 favourites. And the Draw is available at 2/1.
Gareth Southgate’s Three Lions are expected to be unchanged for the big clash. Croatia look like they could be without Atletico Madrid ace Sime Vrsaljko. The right-back is a huge doubt and Vedran Corluka is pencilled in to replace him.
Elsewhere, Marcelo Brozovic could come back into the midfield with Luka Modric reverting back into a more advanced role.
The big question here is, just how good at these two teams? Croatia haven’t overly impressed since disposing of Argentina 3-0. And while England looked decent against Sweden, they barely had to leave second gear.
However, Zlatko Dalic’s side could definitely be the more fatigued side. Both their last-16 and quarter-final clashes went all the way to penalties.
England should be fresher. Southgate’s squad are younger and have played fewer tournament minutes. The Three Lions to qualify is 8/13.
Either way, this should be a tight affair. Only two semi-finals since 1998 have produced more than two goals.
While they have struggled to create much from open-play, England’s main weapon throughout the tournament has been set-pieces.
For Croatia, Ante Rebic has been a key danger for his team. The Fiorentina striker’s direct running and movement will need to be carefully watched. He’s 10/3 to hit the onion bag Anytime.
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All Odds and Markets correct as of date of publication
