National coach Gareth Southgate has released England’s line-up for Sunday afternoon’s European Championship match with Croatia. Kieran Trippier is somewhat surprisingly favored in the left back position. Jadon Sancho is missing from the 23-man selection of the Three Lions, as well as Ben Chilwell and the not yet fully fit Harry Maguire. The likes of Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, Luke Shaw and Jack Grealish start on the bench at Wembley, where the first whistle sounds at 3 p.m.
Sancho had a base place on the right flank with the English last Sunday, who managed to beat Romania (1-0) with minimal figures. It is not clear whether injury plays a role in Southgate’s decision-making. Grealish and Rashford also appeared at the kick-off, but now have to settle for a spare role. Southgate chooses Harry Kane as attack leader, followed by Raheem Sterling, Mason Mount and Phil Foden. Kalvin Phillips and Declan Rice must balance the midfield.
The heart of the English defense is formed by John Stones and Tyrone Mings, with Kyle Walker and Trippier on the flanks. Jordan Pickford is as expected under the bar at England. Southgate could potentially make use of bench seats Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Dominic Calvert-Lewin in attack.
For the Croats, many eyes will be on playmaker Luka Modric and forward Ante Rebic, who has had a strong season at AC Milan. There is also a base place for the experienced Ivan Perisic. In the run-up to the clash There has been much talk about the game between England and Croatia in the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2018. The Croatian showed resilience at the time and managed to win 2-1 despite an early 0-1 deficit. In the final battle, however, France proved too strong 4-2.
England line-up: Pickford; Walker, Stones, Mings, Trippier; Phillips, Rice; Sterling, Mount, Foden; kane
Croatia line-up: Livakovic; Vrsaljko, Vida, Caleta-Car, Gvardiol; Brozovic; Kramaric, Modric, Kovacovic, Perisic; rebic.
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