Our football match prediction:
Croatia
Match Time & Date:
11/07/2018
19:00 GMT
Prediction: 0-1
England
A place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup final will be at stake when Croatia and England face each other at Stadion Luzhniki on Wednesday evening. England recorded a routine 2-0 win over Sweden in the quarter-finals, but they do not want to stop now. The Three Lions are eager to win their second World Cup trophy, but Gareth Southgate must warn his men against complacency as Croatia have yet to suffer a loss at the 2018 tournament. Zlatko Dalic’s men set up a meeting with England by beating the likes of Denmark and Russia on penalties, but they will have a much bigger fish to fry this time out. Harry Kane is likely to pose a big threat for the opposition defenders and we predict that the Tottenham Hotspur attacker is going to lead England to a victory. Croatia and England have never met before at the FIFA World Cup.
Highlighted Player (Luka Modric):
Luka Modric is regarded as one of the best central midfielders in world football. The Croatian ace is a product of Dinamo Zagreb’s youth school and it has to be noted that he played 94 league games for the Modri between 2003 and 2008. In 2008 he signed a six-year deal with Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of £16.5 million. Luka made his Tottenham debut on 16 August, 2008 in a 2-1 loss to Middlesbrough at Riverside Stadium. The Croatian star scored only 13 goals in 127 league appearances for the Spurs, but he is well known for his brilliant passing. In 2012 he signed for Real Madrid for a fee of £30 million and he made his debut against Barcelona in the 2012 Spanish Super Cup, return leg. Modric quickly established himself as a first-team regular and, no doubt, he helped the capital club win two Champions League trophies (2013/2014, 2015/2016). You should bear in mind that he was named Croatian Footballer of the Year in 2007, 2008, 2011 and 2014.
Highlighted Team (England):
One of two oldest national football teams besides Scotland, England have been playing international matches since 1872, but the World Cup title won on home soil in 1966 remain their only major trophy up to date. The Three Lions narrowly missed out on the 1990 World Cup final, losing to Germany on penalties, while they were stopped in quarter-finals on no fewer than five occasions. England twice reached the European Championship semi-finals, in 1968 and 1996, but they have been pretty disappointing at the start of the 21st century, despite boasting arguably the strongest league competition in the world. Sir Bobby Charlton, Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Moore were among players who secured the first major international title, whereas Gary Lineker, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Steven Gerrard, Frank Lampard and Wayne Rooney all played an important role during the modern age. Peter Shilton is the record holder with 125 caps for the national team, while Wayne Rooney surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton as the leading goalscorer in the England national team.
