England host Croatia at Wembley Stadium on Thursday needing only a draw to secure qualification for the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals. Harry Kane leads the Three Lions on a historic night, earning his 126th cap to surpass Peter Shilton as the men’s national team’s all-time appearance record-holder.
Thomas Tuchel’s side enter the penultimate League A Group 3 fixture holding a six-point advantage over the visitors. England secured a dominant 7-0 victory in the reverse fixture in Rijeka last month, with Kane netting a brace alongside goals from Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon, and Morgan Rogers, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The Opta supercomputer heavily favours the hosts with a win probability of 67.2 percent, compared to 14.8 percent for Croatia and an 18 percent chance of a draw, according to Al Jazeera. England sit second in the group with nine points, three behind leaders Spain, while Croatia are third.
Record breaker 🤩 Harry Kane becomes England’s most-capped player 👏 pic.twitter.com/kZJWGSvKP8
Slaven Bilic’s side enter the fixture following three consecutive defeats in the tournament, while the Three Lions have registered three straight triumphs since losing their opening match of the campaign 3-2 to Spain.
Kane paraded his recently won Ballon d’Or trophy ahead of kick-off, having claimed the honour 17 days prior at the London Palladium. “perfect captain and a leader by example,” Thomas Tuchel said of the Bayern Munich striker who also serves as team captain for his 98th time on an evening that also features potential history for his fellow countrymen.
If Jobe features off the bench alongside Jude, it will mark the first time two brothers have played in the same England game since Gary and Phil Neville did so during a February international fixture in 2007.
“I can't ignore it, but obviously with Jude being here too, it's a great, great feeling for the family,” Jobe said.
🏴 🤝 🇭🇷 A touching message from Croatia presented to @HKane ahead of tonight’s match ❤️ pic.twitter.com/ZRrv879pDT
“It showcases consistency at the highest level and to reach the number of caps I have is a testament to the things I spoke about in my [Ballon d'Or] speech behind the scenes, the dedication, and for sure it is one of the biggest milestones of my career,” England captain Kane told reporters.
How do the teams line up at Wembley?
England manager Tuchel reshapes his defence with Marc Guehi out injured and Ezri Konsa also unavailable, alongside Arsenal teammate Myles Lewis-Skelly who is suspended after receiving two bookings. Dan Burn returns to fitness following an ankle injury that disrupted his start to the season and joins Jarell Quansah, Trent Alexander-Arnold, and Lewis Hall in the defensive unit in front of goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
126 #ThreeLions caps and counting 🦁@HKane is on the brink of England history. pic.twitter.com/Wim1Eqw65V
Croatia manager Slaven Bilic deploys Dominik Livakovic in goal behind Josko Gvardiol, Josip Sutalo, Luka Vuskovic, and Josip Stanisic, with Ivan Perisic, Luka Modric making his international appearance, Mateo Kovacic, and Martin Baturina in midfield, and Igor Matanovic and Ante Budimir leading the attack.
What are the managers saying ahead of kickoff?
Bilic emphasises that his squad must find redemption following last month’s heavy defeat in Rijeka, pointing to their subsequent display against Spain as their benchmark, as reported by Al Jazeera.
We will have to be maximally focused, with a lot of energy, and if we give our all, we have the right to expect a positive result. The atmosphere is relaxed, the guys are great.
Slaven Bilic, Croatia manager
Tomorrow we have a chance to show that what happened in Rijeka was just a collective bad day.
Slaven Bilic, Croatia manager
Looking ahead to the conclusion of the group stage, England will travel to Madrid to face world champions Spain on Sunday, November 15, while Croatia return home to face Czechia in their final group fixture.
Where can fans watch the match?
In the United Kingdom, free-to-air broadcaster ITV carries the fixture on ITV1 with coverage beginning at 7 pm GMT ahead of the 7:45 pm kick-off, with live streaming available on the ITVX website and app, according to TechRadar and CNET.
Harry Kane making more history 🏴 He now holds the all-time record of most appearances for England 👏 pic.twitter.com/ZHxW5A2lo7
Viewers in the United States can watch via Fubo’s pay-per-view offering priced at $20 or through ViX, while DAZN holds the broadcasting rights in Canada starting at CA$24.99 per month, and beIN Sports broadcasts the match in Australia with kick-off scheduled for 6:45 pm AEDT on Friday, November 13, as outlined by TechRadar and CNET.
