England vs Croatia Euro 2020 betting picks – Sunday, June 13

England are set to welcome Croatia to Wembley Stadium on Sunday afternoon in the opening match of Group D at Euro 2020.

Considered to be one of the teams to beat at this year’s European Championship, England are -151.52 favourites to win their first game of the tournament. After being knocked out in extra time by Croatia in the 2018 FIFA World Cup semi-finals, the Three Lions led by Harry Kane are back seeking revenge and enter the tourney in red-hot form having not been defeated in their past six international matches.

World Cup finalists Croatia come into Euro 2020 with mixed form, but with an injury-free squad at their disposal, they look to be the ones joining England to emerge from Group D. The Croatian midfield of Luka Modric, Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic is up there as one of the best in the world, and they are sure to give England plenty of headaches in their opening match.

England vs Croatia match analysis

England are paying +500 in the Euro 2020 outright betting, and they have plenty of talent to suggest they can go all the way. The big question on everyone’s lips is whether manager Gareth Southgate will go with the back-three formation that served the Three Lions so well in Russia at the World Cup or switch to the more common back-four setup. With the likes of Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Raheem Sterling, Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden, Mason Mount and Jack Grealish as creative weapons, England have plenty of attacking options that will keep Croatia guessing throughout Sunday afternoon.

The Croatian national team certainly have the midfield and attacking prowess to give England some issues. However, their defence is what will leave them vulnerable throughout Euro 2020. Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic was sublime during the Europa League, registering the most saves (39) in the competition, and was thoroughly impressive when stopping Tottenham in their tracks during the round of 16. If his defence can hold up, then Livakovic will make sure the Three Lions are held at bay for as long as possible.

England vs Croatia predictions & best bets

Correct score: England 3-1

England are favourites for a reason; they have more attacking options than most of the sides in Euro 2020. We expect the Three Lions to flex their muscles on a Croatian side who are seemingly underdogs in this tournament despite making the World Cup final in 2018. The Croatians will no doubt miss the services of experience duo Ivan Rakitic and Mario Mandzukic, but with a star-studded midfield we expect them to pierce an under-fire English defence at some stage. However, a squad featuring the likes of Kane, Rashford, Mount, Sancho, Foden and Sterling should do enough to get England off to winning start.

First goalscorer: Harry Kane

Harry Kane is the biggest attacking weapon in this English line-up. After such a big season with Tottenham in the English Premier League, he will be looking to kick of Euro 2020 on the right note for his country. He netted 23 goals in 35 appearances for Spurs, and with demons of Russia 2018 firmly in his mind, the skipper will be looking to settle any early nerves for English fans with an early goal against Croatia.