England's Group L fate will be shaped in Los Angeles on 17 June, and Croatia know it too. The new 48-team format offers a safety net for third place, yet both heavyweights understand that three points in the opener would seize early control in a section completed by Ghana and Panama.
Gareth Southgate is keeping his 4-3-3 blueprint, the shape that served England well throughout qualifying. The core remains intact: Harry Kane as the focal point, Jude Bellingham driving the half-spaces, and Declan Rice anchoring. Phil Foden arrives with confidence after the standards he keeps setting for Manchester City, form flagged in City Set Sights on Arsenal as Etihad Fortress Awaits Forest. Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon give Southgate options to stretch the touchline while still protecting defensive balance.
England staff have drilled wide overloads every session this week. Reece James’ diagonal deliveries are designed to find Kane early, while Bellingham and Rice rotate to pin the Croatian midfield. Southgate can turn to Eberechi Eze or Adam Wharton if intensity dips. The defensive dilemma is whether to add Dan Burn as a natural left-sided centre-back or keep John Stones inside alongside Marc Guéhi and trust their distribution.
Zlatko Dalić mirrors that base shape. Croatia’s 4-3-3 shifts into a 4-2-3-1 when Lovro Majer floats inside, freeing Luka Sučić or Martin Baturina to arrive late. Joško Gvardiol, now a central pillar, takes charge of build-up and will likely shuffle wide to contain Saka. Mateo Kovačić has been the tempo-setter through qualifying, and his rapport with Kristijan Jakić still underpins Dalić’s press resistance.
Croatia arrive with their own tweaks. Dalić has trialled Josip Stanišić as an inverted right-back, allowing Borna Sosa to push high on the opposite flank. Luka Modrić remains the brains in possession, yet Dalić is ready to lean on Majer and Sučić for running power if England smother the metronome. Petar Musa’s penalty-box instincts have nudged him ahead of Ante Budimir for the starting nine role, offering Croatia a more vertical threat against England’s high line.
Both camps remember recent history. Croatia broke English hearts in Moscow in 2018, England pushed back in the Nations League later that year, then edged the Euro 2020 group game at Wembley. Those matches were decided in midfield tightropes—the exact zone that will define this World Cup meeting.
Key numbers:
- Competitive record since 2018: England two wins, Croatia one, one draw.
- Last World Cup meeting: Croatia 2-1 England (aet), 2018 semi-final in Moscow.
- Fixtures resume quickly after the opener, with both nations still to face Ghana and Panama in Group L.
Every training report says these squads are fit, prepared, and wary of each other’s wrinkles. Fine margins will likely hinge on how quickly England’s press can trap Croatia’s first pass out or whether Dalić’s ball-carriers can drag Rice away from his screen. Whoever seizes that midfield corridor should lock in a top-spot trajectory.
Group fixtures against Ghana and Panama follow in rapid succession, so the timeline is unforgiving. Win here and the path to the knockout stage clears. Slip, and every subsequent minute in Group L becomes a negotiation under pressure.
