PREVIEW: England host Croatia at Wembley as they eye UEFA Nations League quarter-final spot

The Three Lions face Croatia at Wembley, knowing a point will be enough to secure a spot in the UEFA Nations League quarter-final.

England sit second in Group A3, six points ahead of the Croatians while trailing World Cup champions Spain by three. Outside of a defeat to De La Fuente’s Spanish champions, Thomas Tuchel’s side have been potent with three wins in the last three, including a rampant 7-0 win against the Vatreni last month.

Slaven Bilić’s men will be fired up to get revenge and keep their chances of progressing in the competition alive, a win being essential to achieve at Wembley.

After their embarrassing defeat to England, the Croatia boss deemed they “didn’t have that energy. It was evident from the first second, they trampled on us.”

Croatia have managed just one win in their first game, being a narrow 2-1 win against Czechia in Prague. Although causing an upset is a difficult task, they will also need to avoid finishing at the bottom of the group in order to avoid possible relegation to League B, as they’ll face Czechia as their final group stage game on November 15th.

Crowned the winner of the Ballon d’Or two weeks ago, England captain Harry Kane spoke on winning the prestigious award ahead of the game. He said: “[The trophy is] still in Munich but hoping it will be there [at Wembley] tomorrow. I think everyone is extremely proud that I won it.

“For me personally, [it’s] great to see the boys and people that helped me win it. It’s been amazing for Bayern Munich, England [and] for English fans. It’s been incredible, just grateful for all of the support.”

Tuchel also praised the 33-year-old striker, as he said: “The moment his name was said, you could see him as a proper man, well dressed and he spoke so well educated and so humble, so you know the prize is in good hands.”

Another significant achievement for Kane can be set against Croatia to become England men’s all-time record appearance maker with a 126th cap to surpass Peter Shilton’s record of 125 appearances.

The home side will be without Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence, while Myles Lewis-Skelly is unavailable through suspension. Bilić will be without Ivan Perišić after being sent off against Spain in a 2-1 defeat last time out and a sizable injury list that includes Josip Šutalo, Kristijan Jakić, Luka Sučić, Joško Gvardiol and Andrej Kramarić.

The match at Wembley Stadium will kick-off on Thursday, November 12th at 19:45 and will be broadcast live on ITV1 and STV.