Rijeka will stage a Nations League meeting without its usual roar, yet England and Croatia arrive with far more than an empty stand to consider. Both sides have taken three points from their first two Group A3 fixtures, while Spain already sit on six, leaving the contest on the Adriatic coast central to the chase for the second quarter-final place.
A closed-door night with qualification at stake
The match will be played behind closed doors after racist behaviour by Croatian supporters during the first leg of Croatia’s Nations League quarter-final against France in March 2025. UEFA regulations nevertheless allow the Croatian federation to invite children, and around 6,000 young spectators are expected inside the Rijeka stadium.
- Spain lead the group with six points.
- Croatia and England each have three points after two matches.
- The second-placed team will also advance to the quarter-finals.
- England beat Croatia 4-2 when the teams met in the World Cup group stage in June.
Slaven Bilic’s Croatia will again have Luka Modric available. The 41-year-old midfielder began Tuesday’s match against Spain among the substitutes, but remains part of a squad being tested against Europe’s strongest opponents.
“We want to find out whether this group can compete with the best,” Bilic said. “We need to be compact and courageous.”
Manchester City ruling reaches the camps
The Premier League verdict that found Manchester City guilty of financial-rule breaches has been a subject of conversation around the England camp before the journey to Croatia. Thomas Tuchel acknowledged that players had time away from matches to discuss an issue carrying consequences well beyond one club.
“It is an important matter and naturally the players have spoken about it,” Tuchel said. “The City players have spoken about it too. We addressed it with them, although only briefly. They are ready to play.”
Four Manchester City players are involved across the two national squads:
- Josko Gvardiol and Mateo Kovacic for Croatia.
- Elliot Anderson and Marc Guehi for England.
- James McAtee left the England camp after discomfort ruled him out of Tuesday’s 2-0 win over the Czech Republic in Prague.
The ruling has therefore followed the players into international duty, though Tuchel made clear that England’s immediate attention is on the match in Rijeka.
Managing a demanding eleven-day spell
Both Bilic and Tuchel must also judge fatigue carefully during a sequence of four matches in 11 days. Tuchel singled out Anderson and Anthony Gordon as players carrying a particularly heavy physical burden.
Gordon, the Barcelona winger, has scored in successive games, first against Spain and then in Prague. His workload could mean a place on the bench against Croatia, where he may face his club colleague Dominik Livakovic.
England’s task is thus shaped by several pressures at once: the battle to stay close to Spain, the compressed calendar, and a City case that has become impossible to ignore. Croatia, playing at home but without their regular public, have the same need for a result. In Rijeka, the atmosphere may be unusual, but the importance of the evening will not be diminished.
