SM
Brighton vs. Man City: 9 hrs 19 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
CN
Nations League | League Phase
Oct 12, 2018 at 7.45pm UK
 
EN

0-0

 
FT

How England could line up against Croatia

:Headline: How England could line up against Croatia: ID:338305: from db_amp
Ahead of Friday evening's UEFA Nations League clash between Croatia and England, Sports Mole looks at how the Three Lions could line up.

England head to Croatia on Friday evening for the second match of their UEFA Nations League campaign, aiming to bounce back to winning ways.

The Three Lions were beaten 2-1 by Spain at Wembley Stadium in last month's opener and are now at risk of suffering relegation to League B.

Gareth Southgate was given a chance to experiment in the 1-0 win over Switzerland a few days later, and now the England boss must decide whether to return to his favoured setup or integrate a few of the new faces into the senior fold.

Here, Sports Mole looks at how Southgate may set out his side for this week's clash in Rijeka.

Left-back is proving a troublesome position for Southgate heading into Friday night's match, as Luke Shaw has withdrawn from the squad through injury and Danny Rose is also carrying a knock.

Ben Chilwell, promoted from the Under-21s side earlier this week, may therefore go straight into the side for just his second ever appearance at senior level.

Assuming England continue with a three-man backline, Joe Gomez, John Stones and Harry Maguire should get the nod in the middle, with Kieran Trippier out on the right, although versatile Kyle Walker is also in contention.

Jordan Pickford and Harry Kane are almost certain to start in goal and up front respectively, meanwhile, and Raheem Sterling - despite questionable international form - is also a favourite for Southgate, leaving just the central midfield positions to sort.

With Jesse Lingard, Dele Alli and Ruben Loftus-Cheek not available, Harry Winks is in line for a first Three Lions outing in over a year, and Ross Barkley has also forced his way into the reckoning thanks to his club form.

Southgate is also expected to go with Jordan Henderson in the middle for this behind-closed-doors clash, but he could spring a surprise of sorts by including James Maddison - one of four potential debutants this week - in his starting lineup.

> Click here to see how Croatia could line up for this fixture

amp_article__338305 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2018-10-21 09:00:57:
html db last update - 2021-03-11 02:40:09 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Read more!
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Liverpool34228475344174
3Manchester CityMan City32227376324473
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton321111105250244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .