Rijeka:Old rivals Croatia and England are set to face off in Rijeka for their 2026-27 UEFA Nations League fixture. Both teams have three points in League A Group 3, having each secured a victory over Czechia, and are currently trailing behind group leaders Spain.
According to Islamic Republic News Agency, the match presents an opportunity for Harry Kane to achieve a significant milestone. The Bayern Munich striker has scored in each of his last five competitive away games for England. A goal in Rijeka would make him one of only four English players to score in six consecutive official away matches.
Croatia will be without injured players Martin Erlic and Josip Juranovic. Manager Slaven Bilic is expected to make several changes following their defeat to Spain, with Luka Modric returning to the midfield and Jo‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡ko Gvardiol potentially moving to left-back. Ivan Peri‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬€š¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬€š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡¬¦¡ic will likely feature on the left wing, while Martin Baturina could play a pivotal role in the midfield after recovering from illness.
England manager Thomas Tuchel faces a significant injury crisis, with key players like Marcus Rashford, John Stones, and Declan Rice unavailable. Despite these absences, Jordan Pickford is set to return as goalkeeper, and Jude Bellingham is expected to take on the playmaker role, supported by Bukayo Saka and Anthony Gordon.
Both teams have identical records in the tournament, each with one win and one loss. England has a slight edge statistically, scoring more goals and conceding fewer per game than Croatia. Historically, England has won the last three competitive meetings against Croatia, although the Croatians famously defeated them in the 2018 World Cup semi-final.
The match, scheduled for Saturday, October 3, will take place at the HNK Rijeka Stadium, with a kick-off time of 12 p.m. ET. Viewers in the United States can watch the game on fuboTV and ViX, while those in the United Kingdom can tune in via ITV 1 and STV Scotland.