Gareth Southgate using Croatia’s ‘favourites’ claim against them

• England need Wembley win to reach Nations League finals
• Defender Jedvaj said Croatia ‘favourites despite playing away’

Gareth Southgate and his players hope to exploit Croatian over-confidence in Wembley’s winner-takes-all tie and end a resurgent year on a high by securing passage into the inaugural Nations League finals.

Members of Zlatko Dalic’s squad have made a point of referencing Croatia’s extra-time victory over England at the World Cup – when they had apparently been motivated by a perceived lack of respect from their opponents – in the buildup to Sunday’s third meeting in four months. Tin Jedvaj, the Bayer Leverkusen defender whose stoppage-time winner defeated Spain on Thursday, suggested England had been beaten “without any problems” in Moscow and the visitors at Wembley should be considered “favourites, despite the fact we are playing away”.

Continue reading...