Croatia Faces Tough Opener Against England in World Cup

Zlatko Dalic knows exactly what is waiting for him in Dallas. England, in a World Cup opener, with his Croatia side patched together and short of rhythm. It is not the soft landing he would have chosen.

“Maybe, because the first game can destroy everything,” he admitted when asked whether he would rather see England later in the group. The memory of Euro 2024 still bites: a 3-0 defeat to Spain in the first match, momentum gone before it ever really started. Croatia never recovered.

This time the stakes feel just as sharp. Croatia have just edged past Slovenia 2-1 in their final warm-up in Varazdin before flying to the United States, but the scoreline tells only part of the story. Dalic is juggling problems everywhere he looks.

Injuries, rust and a thin squad

The Manchester City duo of Mateo Kovacic and Josip Gvardiol are both coming back from injury. Luka Modric, still the emotional and technical heartbeat of this team, is playing through a fractured cheekbone and required a protective mask against Slovenia. He still produced a beautifully taken goal, a reminder that his class has not dimmed. His sharpness, though, is another matter.

“Kovacic, Gvardiol and Modric didn’t play much for a long time and they are not in optimal form,” Dalic said. “Especially Kovacic, he hardly played this season and now we need him. It’s not easy and we need time. Gvardiol is now back but I know they are not at the optimal level. We don’t have a big roster and these are some of our most important players.”

That is the crux. Croatia, third at the 2022 World Cup and runners-up in 2018, have always leaned heavily on a core of leaders. When those pillars arrive undercooked, there is little margin for error. This is not a squad padded with like-for-like replacements.

The weight of the opener

Dalic has lived both sides of an opening game. In Russia in 2018, a controlled win over Nigeria set the tone for a run that ended in the final. In Qatar, a hard-fought draw with Morocco laid the platform for another deep journey, one that ended with bronze.

At Euro 2024, though, Spain tore through them and the campaign collapsed almost on contact. That is why England on 17 June feels so pivotal. Not just as a marquee fixture, but as a psychological hinge on which Croatia’s entire summer may swing.

“We can’t choose anything else now,” Dalic said. “The first game is the most important game. Against England we’ll fight, try to do our best and try to win.”

There is no attempt to dress it up. No talk of easing into the tournament. Croatia are walking straight into the fire.

Old scars, new England

Dalic was the architect of one of England’s most painful modern nights, the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Moscow. Croatia came from behind, outplayed England in extra time and marched into the final. If anyone could be tempted to lean on that history, it would be him.

He refused. England, he pointed out, have beaten Croatia twice since. The dynamic has shifted, the faces on the other side of the technical area have changed, and he sees a team that has grown in both depth and conviction.

He praised the strength of the Premier League, called England “a very strong team whose league is the best in the world and who play very offensive, very fast,” and noted their decision to set up camp in the US early. England flew to Miami a week ago to acclimatise and fine-tune, even though the match in Dallas is still days away.

Croatia, by contrast, arrive with tape on key players and questions about their physical level. The gap in preparation is clear. Dalic did not hide from it.

“We will have to do something more,” he said.

That is the challenge now: to find, in a tired and bruised group, one more surge of defiance against an opponent that looks younger, fresher, deeper. Croatia have built an era on rising when the stage is biggest. The question in Dallas is simple: can they summon that trick one more time, with so much riding on the very first whistle?