England are entering the tournament in excellent form, having not conceded a single goal in qualifying, a testament to the solid defense built by Thomas Tuchel. In four friendlies, they have conceded two goals while scoring five, but three of those came against Costa Rica. Croatia, despite the age of their leaders, is also renowned for its ability to play for results.
On the other hand, Croatia has personnel issues in defense and often concedes first, which could force them to play defensively to avoid opening up. Given that this is the opening match of the tournament, where the cost of error is especially high, both teams will be extremely focused on organizing their defense. Experts predict the match could even be boring, similar to their 1-0 defeat at Euro 2020.
England is unbeaten in regulation time against Croatia for six consecutive matches, but three of their last four meetings have ended with under 2.5 goals. In three of the teams' last four head-to-head matches, the under 2.5 goals bet won. All this points to a pragmatic style of football, where a single goal can be decisive.
