Croatia vs England Prediction & Preview - UEFA Nations League
Croatia's heaviest defeat of this Nations League campaign came four days ago, a 4-1 loss away to Spain, and it is the form England will be hoping to find again in Rijeka. The two sides meet on Saturday with Croatia needing a response and England looking to build on a recent away win.
- Fixture: Croatia vs England
- Competition: UEFA Nations League
- Date: Saturday, 3 October 2026
- Kick-off: 17:00 BST
- Venue: Rujevica Stadium, Rijeka
Croatia's defence has gone from solid to shaky in a week
Three days before the Spain defeat, Croatia had won 2-1 away to Czechia, a result that suggested a team organised enough to grind out a result on the road. The 4-1 collapse against Spain undoes that. Conceding four goals in one match and two in the other means Croatia have shipped five in their last two outings, and whichever version of the team turns up at the Rujevica Stadium will shape how this one goes.
England arrive on the back of a win in Czechia
England lost 2-3 to Spain on 26 September, then responded four days later with a 2-0 win away to Czechia. That is a side that can lose control of a game against the strongest opposition but still travel and get a professional result against lesser ones. Croatia, on the numbers above, currently sit closer to the Czechia end of that scale than the Spain end.
The last meeting was only four months ago
England beat Croatia 4-2 at the World Cup in June, the two sides' only meeting in our records. Four goals conceded again would be a serious concern for a Croatia team already leaking at the back against Spain, and a repeat of that scoreline is well within what the recent form supports.
England team news: Pickford back in, O'Reilly ruled out
Jordan Pickford returns in goal in place of James Trafford, who started England's first two Nations League matches this autumn. Left-back Nico O'Reilly has withdrawn from the squad through injury, with Lewis Hall in line to fill that spot.
Croatia team news: Erlic and Juranovic both missing
Centre-back Martin Erlic is out injured and expected to be sidelined until mid-October, while right-back Josip Juranovic is unavailable with illness. Losing a first-choice centre-back the week after conceding four goals is the kind of team news that tends to compound a problem rather than fix it.
Croatia vs England prediction
England should beat Croatia in this UEFA Nations League meeting in Rijeka. Croatia have just conceded four in a Nations League match and go into this one without their first-choice centre-back, while England arrive having won their last outing away from home. The World Cup meeting between these sides in June also went England's way, and nothing in Croatia's recent form points to a different outcome this time.
Our prediction: Croatia 1-2 England
Make your prediction
You don't need to agree with ours. CalledItMate is a free football prediction game, and you can lock in your own scoreline for this match, along with every other fixture in the Nations League, on the Croatia vs England match page. Check the full match list for everything else being played this round, and see how your calls stack up on the leaderboard.