Croatia has an important game in the UEFA Nations League today against England away at Wembley Stadium. A win for Croatia could give them hope of finishing in the top two positions of Group 3A and reaching the quarterfinals. A loss for Croatia against England today will see them at risk of getting relegated to League B with one game remaining.
For the match today, Croatia head coach Slaven Bilić made several changes to the lineup he last used in the UEFA Nations League. One notable change is not including legendary midfielder Luka Modrić in the starting XI.
Modrić was called up to the Croatia national team this week and played in all four UEFA Nations League games of the previous international break, including the home game against England, where he played 57 minutes in Croatia’s 7-0 loss. Is Croatia’s Luka Modrić Injured? Luka Modrić is not injured but is on the Croatia bench against England today.
Modrić was expected to start the match today, but instead, Slaven Bilić decided to start Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Josip Mišić next to Mateo Kovačić. According to Sportske Novosti, Bilić decided to make significant tactical changes for the match today, including keeping Modrić on the bench. Modrić could potentially play in the second half, depending on how the game plays out.
Other surprise changes to the lineup include starting Igor Matanović and playing midfielder Petar Sucic in a more attacking midfielder role. Bilić is currently planning to use a 3-4-2-1 formation.
