England vs Croatia Predictions, Picks & Odds — Wednesday, June 17 World Cup Match

Want to get more Covers content? Add us as a preferred source on your Google account here.

Eight years after meeting in a World Cup semi-final, England and Croatia meet in the first game of Group L, with the Three Lions heavily favored.

This is a very good England team with a manager who understands tournament soccer, which is why my England vs. Croatia predictions expect Thomas Tuchel’s men to take all three points.

Read on for my World Cup picks for Wednesday, June 17, with kickoff at 4:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

 TOP PICK
Who will win England vs Croatia: England (-138)

When Thomas Tuchel left out technical players like Phil Foden and Cole Palmer from his squad, it sent us a signal as bettors. This is a team built with function at its heart, with the importance of roles overriding natural ability. 

Tuchel’s England play a 4-2-3-1, and it’s the midfield that is key to how the team will win this. Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson both can shield the back four but also transition the ball forwards, preferably into the wide players.

The main profile of England’s wingers is speed. It’s about using that pace to either beat the full back or to force an overreaction from the defending team and create space elsewhere. So expect Anthony Gordon and Bukayo Saka to be hitting the byline and squaring it to Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham, who’ll operate as a second striker at times.

We’ve seen Kane dropping deeper to act as a creator for both Bayern Munich and England in the last 12 months, and he can create huge amounts of space when he does this.

Croatia have lots of experience in their ranks but with pace and power being key components to England’s new identity, it’s unclear how 37-year-old Ivan Perisic and 40-year-old Luka Modric will be able to compete.

Expect England to bully Croatia and beat them via physicality.

England is playable at odds of -150.

England vs Croatia Over/Under Pick: Under 2.5 (-125)

Ante Budimir has had a good season for Osasuna, but at 34-years old, he’s going to struggle against a defense with the speed of England. 

Croatia know that they’re underdogs and will go into this looking to frustrate England, which will inevitably mean a low block to try and limit the danger of England’s wide men getting in behind them. 

We’ve seen throughout Tuchel’s managerial career that he’s a master tactician but at heart, a pragmatist. When England have a lead, he will look to manage the game to a winning conclusion. He’s spoken of his desire for the team to press high, and given that this game is in a dome and should have favorable conditions, that is very much possible.

Both Gordon and Saka work just as hard defensively as they do in attack, which gives England an extra layer of protection. With the wingers tracking back, and pressure on Modric in midfield, it should limit the chances of the Croats to score.

England vs Croatia projected lineup

England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, O’Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane.

Croatia (4-2-3-1): Livakovic; Stanisic, Erlic, Pongracic, Gvardiol; Modric, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramic, Perisic; Budimir

England vs Croatia injuries

England: Bukayo Saka (Questionable).

Croatia: Duje Caleta-Car (Questionable).

England vs Croatia weather

It’ll be sunny with temperatures in the 90s, but it should be cool inside the dome.

England vs Croatia odds

Odds courtesy of Kalshi.

How to watch England vs Croatia

Check out FIFA’s official 2026 World Cup website for more information.

This article originally appeared on Covers.com, read the full article here and view our best betting sites or check out our top sportsbook promos.