Croatia faces England at Wembley with three injured centre-backs

Croatia travels to London for the fifth round of the Nations League, where England awaits at Wembley on Thursday evening. The match represents a major challenge for coach Slaven Bilić, who is dealing with a severe shortage of fit centre-backs. Of six players who have regularly occupied the central defence positions in recent years, three are currently injured.

The only three fit centre-backs available are Luka Vušković, Duje Ćaleta-Car and Niko Galešić. Galešić was called up on Monday after Josip Šutalo joined Martin Erlić and Marin Pongračić on the injury list. Erlić suffered his injury on 9 October during a Danish Cup match against Sundby, while Midtjylland won 7–0.

“We have no time for mourning.”

Bilić had previously stated that Croatia had depth in central defence, but the injury crisis has created the impression that fate is mocking him. He also indicated that Joško Gvardiola is intended to play as a left-back, which suggests the central defence has already been determined for Wembley.

England took the lead in the 24th minute when Harry Kane sent a long ball to Jude Bellingham, who found Morgan Rogers in the box. Rogers scored to make it 1–0, while Gvardiola did not react optimally. Kane had recently won the Ballon d’Or and brought the trophy onto the pitch for England’s first home match after the award.

Croatia made a strong start and pressed England high, but fell behind despite controlling possession early on. Bilić’s hybrid formation worked well at the beginning, yet the home side led at half-time. Ćaleta-Car said the team has no time for mourning, while Petar Sučić admitted England teammates joked with him about the result against Rijeka.

The match is part of the top tier of the Nations League group stage. Croatia is trying to save its image and status in the competition. The next fixture will determine whether the team can recover from the first-half setback.