Slaven Bilić and Croatia Set for England Clash

Croatia will face England in the Nations League on Thursday evening.

The Three Lions beat Slaven Bilić side 7-0 when the pair met in Rijeka in October, but Croatia produced a spirited performance in their 2-1 loss at home to Spain in the following match.

Slaven Bilić is aware of threats England pose, but believes his side are better prepared for this game, than they were when they last faced England.

He told reporters that:"England is a big team, it is a glorious team, they don’t need much to score.

Perisic Absence Hampers Croatia

Ivan Perisic has played every minute of Croatia’s Nations League campaign so far, registering three goal contributions across the four games.

The veteran winger is suspended for the game against England however, following the red card he received in Croatia’s 2-1 loss to Spain.

Slaven Bilić believes that “You can’t decide these kinds of games with just one player”, however.

“It’s the most important thing to have players on the bench who can step in.” He said.

The former West Ham manager was also optimistic about the rest of his squad’s fitness.

He said:“Perisic cannot play, but all the other players are possible as starters.”

Bilic was also keen to praise Brighton centre-back Luka Vuskovic, the youngest player in Croatia’s squad.

“Vuskovic is an excellent player," Slaven Bilić said. He added he is only 19, but he makes you feel like he’s been here ages.

The manager also said:“He reads the game well, is confident, and has great technique.”

Vuskovic will likely be joined in Croatia’s backline by Manchester City’s Josko Gvardiol.

Bilic said that Gvardiol can play almost all the positions in the backline and that he is always thinking about how to use him.”

Recovering from Rijeka Rout

Croatia lost 7-0 when they played England at home last month, and 4-2 when the teams met at this summer’s World Cup.

Croatia midfielder Mateo Kovacic is the other player, besides Vuskovic and Gvardiol, to currently play in the Premier League.

He said that Thursday’s match “is a great opportunity to play a much better game.”

Kovacic is acutely aware of English football’s unique pressures, having played at Chelsea for five years, before his current stint at Manchester City.

When asked about what made the England team unique, he said that, “all the duels are really hard and aggressive, and they run a lot, they play excellent football.”

Kovacic said that his side are looking forward to facing Thomas Tuchel’s team however.

He said that, “This is a great opportunity to play a much better game (than in Rijeka)”.

Bilic echoed Kovacic’s sentiment, describing the 7-0 defeat as “a blackout”.

He said that the defeat was “an awful feeling. If the feeling is bad, we want to forget it. But you should remember it, think about it, and play better.”

The Positives For Croatia

Croatia produced a much better performance when they lost 2-1 to Spain in the Nations League last month, after leading for much of the game.

When discussing Thursday’s game, Bilic said that “Aggressivity has to be on the top level, as it was in the game against Spain.”

“Both sides are among the best three teams in the world at the moment” Bilic said, but maintained that, “You cannot compare England with Spain. England are more offensive.”

The Croatia manager also believed his team could take some positives from the 7-0 defeat.

He told reporters that, “That game could have easily changed if Mateo Kovacic had scored for 3-1”

“I think we have a model of how to play against England.”

Both Bilic and Kovacic are highly experienced at playing against England captain, and recent Balon D’or winner, Harry Kane.

Kovacic described Kane as “a phenomenal player.” While Bilic explained the challenge of coaching a team to defend against him.

“Individually, he’s not easy to take on” Bilic said. “He’s an excellent player. When you have somebody on him, the players behind him should be careful as well.”

The Bigger Picture

Croatia currently sit third in group A3 of the Nations League.

They are unlikely to move into the top two place they would need to qualify for the quarter finals, and may face a relegation play-off, even if they beat fourth place Czechia on Sunday.

When asked about the importance of maintaining this status, Bilic maintained that qualifying for Euro 2028 was his team’s biggest objective, but believed that a successful Nations League campaign could be a vital part of that process.

“We don’t want to compromise the qualifiers, which are the most important thing” Bilic said, referencing how seeding for Euro 2028 qualifying will be determined by a country’s Nations League results.

Croatia are one of eight nations to have played in League A in every edition of the Nations League.

If they lose to England on Thursday, then their survival in League A could depend on them achieving a positive result against Czechia.

Bilic said that he was “thinking about Czechia, but not completely.” Maintaining that his focus is primarily on the game against England.

“We have an opportunity to prove tomorrow that the game in Rijeka was just one of those days for us.”