Our best bets for the opening game of Group L include a positive start for the Three Lions with plenty of goals.
Eight years on from their semi-final clash in Russia, England and Croatia once again face each other at a World Cup.
Group L’s two European representatives lock horns at the AT&T Stadium in Dallas on Wednesday, before Ghana take on Panama in Toronto the following morning.
England have fared well at major tournaments for the best part of a decade, concluding the last two European Championships as runners-up after that aforementioned run to the last four in 2018.
Gareth Southgate’s side were ousted at the quarter-final stage of the last World Cup, following an agonising penalty miss from Harry Kane against France.
Croatia were subsequently defeated by France at the Luzhniki Stadium but were at least able to proudly reflect on their best-ever World Cup performance and, after failing to reach the knockout rounds at Euro 2024, the Vatreni will be eager to make an impact in North America.
We’ve analysed the stats and browsed the World Cup betting market for a Bet Builder for this match which pays out at 14/1 if it comes in.
England v Croatia Bet Builder Tips
England expectations high again
Following an extremely impressive qualification campaign, England fans can be forgiven for their current optimism.
The Three Lions won all of their qualifiers without conceding a goal, leaving them 10 points clear at the summit of Group K.
Although they performed below-par in their first World Cup warm-up match, a 1-0 win over New Zealand, Thomas Tuchel’s men recovered to convincingly beat Costa Rica 3-0 last Wednesday evening.
Croatia also breezed through qualifying, racking up 22 points from eight fixtures.
However, the Balkan outfit have lost some of their pre-tournament momentum after suffering two defeats in their last three outings.
Leg 1: England to win @ 7/10
Goals Galore in Dallas
With both teams boasting immense attacking quality, we can expect to see plenty of goalscoring opportunities on Wednesday evening.
England registered a respectable 22 goals during World Cup qualifying, partially thanks to 5-0 away victories over both Serbia and Latvia.
Kane provides a lethal threat up front, while the likes of Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Anthony Gordon are capable of making decisive contributions in the final third.
Croatia also aren’t shy in front of goal. They netted on four more occasions than their opening Group L opponents en route to booking their place at the World Cup, but aren’t quite as watertight at the back.
The Croatians haven’t kept a clean sheet since last October, when they eased past Gibraltar at the Stadion Anđelko Herjavec.
Leg 2: Over 2.5 goals @ 21/20
Kramaric to cause trouble for Three Lions
After registering six goals in qualifying, Andrej Kramaric heads into this summer’s tournament with a spring in his step.
The experienced attacker bagged braces in each of Croatia’s opening two qualifiers, helping his country record emphatic triumphs over Gibraltar and Czechia.
The absence of a prolific frontman has increased Croatia’s reliance on Kramaric, who barely featured in Leicester City’s astonishing run to the Premier League title during an ill-fated spell at the King Power Stadium.
Conversely, Kramaric is indispensable to his current club side, evidenced by his goalscoring contributions last season as Hoffenheim finished in fifth place in the Bundesliga.
Therefore, don’t be surprised if the Croatian number nine finds the net on Wednesday night.
Leg 3: Andrej Kramaric to score 15/4
