FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
It's not yet a European classic, but the encounters between England and Croatia this century have become particularly important. Some of them have decided the fate of qualifiers and major tournaments, such as England's elimination from EURO 2008 or decisive challenges in the World and European Championships.
Now comes a new chapter. At AT&T Stadium in Dallas, England and Croatia will face off in the opening match of Group L, one of the most prominent challenges of the first round of the World Cup.
Both teams are looking to repeat their recent successes against each other. England are looking back on their 1-0 victory at Wembley in the opening match of EURO 2020, while Croatia are looking back on their historic 2-1 triumph in the 2018 World Cup semi-final at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.
Has Tuchel found the ideal formation?
After years of disappointment and underperformance, England have returned to being one of the strongest teams in the world. They reached the semi-finals of the 2018 World Cup and played in the finals of EURO 2020 and EURO 2024.
The next objective is even bigger: winning the world title, a feat that England has only achieved once, back in 1966.
In this mission, the team is led by German coach Thomas Tuchel, who has shown that his selections are based on form and not name. Cole Palmer, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Phil Foden did not have the best season and were left out of the list for the US tour.
Tuchel has selected the 26 players he trusts, while the match against Croatia may provide the first signals as to whether he has built the ideal formation.
" The thing that makes this group special is unity. In a tournament there will be difficult moments and not everything will go according to plan. Then we have to show character. The more united the group is, the easier it is to overcome difficulties ," said Jordan Henderson, the legendary former Liverpool captain, who turns 36 on the day of the match.
The English midfielder stressed that a good start can be of great importance:
" The important thing is to start off right and show the world how strong we can be ."
Bukayo Saka's activation remains in doubt for this match, while Anthony Gordon is expected to have an advantage over Marcus Rashford in the offensive department.
Modric's fifth World Cup, Croatia seeks another success
Croatia and the World Cup have had a special bond since 1998, when the team led by Miroslav Blažević finished third. The younger generations have taken the national team to even higher levels, reaching the final of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and finishing third in Qatar in 2022.
The Croats know that the road to similar success is difficult, but believe they still have a competitive squad led by Luka Modric.
The legendary midfielder will start his fifth World Cup tonight. The efficiency of the Croatian attack, where Andrej Kramaric and Ante Budimir stand out, will largely depend on his creativity and passing.
The Osasuna striker has scored 38 goals in the last two seasons in La Liga and aims to transfer the same form to the national team.
" I want to continue scoring with Croatia. My goal is to have the same continuity as in Spain. This team is somewhat different from the Qatar one, but we always have quality young players joining the team ," said Budimir.
However, he put the team above personal goals.
" I would immediately accept a repeat of Qatar, if the team plays well and achieves success, even if my goals don't matter ."/" Vijesti ", translated in Albanian by Pamfleti
Possible formations
England: Pickford - James, Stones, Guehi, O'Rilly - Anderson, Rice - Belingam, Saka, Gordon - Kane.
Croatia: Livakovic – Stanisic, Shutalo, Vuskovic, Guardiola – Kovacic, Modric – Mario Pasalic, Perisic, Kramaric – Budimir.
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