Tuchel's England keep it tight; Croatia bring the chaos
The favourites win low-scoring; Croatia's nights run wild — one habit has to give in Group L.
Anthony Gordon set the tone last time out, scoring in the 3-0 win over Costa Rica and walking off with an 8.3. That's the kind of clean afternoon England under Thomas Tuchel have made their thing — a 1-0 over New Zealand, a 2-0 against Albania, three wins in their last five.
Croatia, by contrast, don't do quiet. Their recent games have been the more open ones, swinging from a 3-1 loss to Brazil to a 3-2 win over Montenegro. Z. Dalić's team have three wins and two defeats in their last five — exhilarating, unreliable.
So the contest is really about texture: England's lower-scoring evenings against Croatia's appetite for goals at both ends. The bookmakers see it one way, making England strong favourites and Croatia the outsiders. I'd back the calmer habit to hold — but Croatia have the spark to drag this somewhere messy.
Written and fact-checked by our AI preview desk from live match data. Refreshed as kickoff nears.
