World Cup qual. - Croatia clash promises goals

Eurosport - Wed, 09 Sep 19:15:00 2009

If past meetings are anything to go by, then England's clash with Croatia at Wembley will be a high-scoring affair.

FOOTBALL 2008 World Cup qualifier England's Wayne Rooney challenges Croatia's captain Niko Kovac in Zagreb - 0

HEAD-TO-HEAD

The Group Three match between England and Croatia at Wembley will be the sixth meeting between the two sides.

There have been a total of 21 goals in total in those games, at an average of 3.5 per match.

England has triumphed on three occasions, Croatia twice, with one draw between them.

Croatia did the double over England during qualifying for Euro 2008, with their 3-2 win at Wembley in the final group match denying Steve McClaren's side a place in Austria and Switzerland.

That win in November 2007 is their only win on English soil in three visits.

However, England won the last meeting between the two sides, Theo Walcott's hat-trick helping them to a 4-1 victory in Zagreb in September 2008.

ENGLAND

England's place in next year's finals in South Africa will be confirmed if they win, or if draw Belarus avoid defeat against Ukraine.

Should they qualify, it will be England's fourth consecutive World Cup appearance and 13th overall.

Since losing to Croatia at Wembley in 2007, England have won all seven of their competitive matches. They are on a run of nine consecutive wins in World Cup qualifiers, equalling their longest run achieved between 1949 and 1957.

England's last World Cup qualifying defeat before Croatia's last visit was the 1-0 loss to Germany in October 2000, the last match to be played at the old Wembley stadium.

Their last defeat in a World Cup qualifier was in Northern Ireland in September 2005, when Sven-Goran Eriksson's side lost 1-0.

Wayne Rooney has scored the most goals at Wembley since it re-opened in June 2007, netting seven times in 14 appearances.

CROATIA

Croatia are placed ninth in the world in the latest FIFA rankings - two places behind England.

Since losing 4-1 at home to England in the reverse fixture, Croatia are unbeaten in their World cup qualifiers, winning four matches and drawing the other two.

In 13 years of competing in World Cup qualifying matches, they have only ever lost one other game - A 3-1 loss in Denmark in September 1997. They went on to reach the semi-finals of the 1998 tournament in France.

Eduardo could equal Goran Vlaovic is Croatia's third-highest goal scorer should he find the net at Wembley. The Brazil-born Arsenal striker has scored 15 times in 26 appearances for his adopted country.

In their current World Cup qualifying campaign, Luka Modric, Ivica Olic and Ivan Rakitic are joint-top scorers for Slaven Bilic's side with three goals each.

Eurosport

Comment 48 - 67 of 67

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  1. C,MON holland do the sweaty socks good and proper,
    now­ that murrays out as well ,
    i wish scotland all they­ wish england @#$% All
    billy connelly, gordon brown ,­ andy murray, your team's going to get one hell of a­ beating.

    BYE BYE SCOTLAND BYE BYE

    From Jd, on Wed 9 Sep 7:48PM

  2. sally is a jock mong

    From Mick, on Wed 9 Sep 7:35PM

  3. sally!! if ya is as fookin ugly as ya pic then he is­ more than welcome to ya!!! anyways,wont matter,he has­ his beer goggles on plms !!!!!

    From gary62turner, on Wed 9 Sep 7:27PM

  4. ITS­ TIME...................................................­ ..............FOR WAR..........................COME ON­ ENGLAND

    From yorkie, on Wed 9 Sep 7:16PM

  5. f@@kin jocks woy yer ever done NOTHIN

    From TOMMY T, on Wed 9 Sep 7:08PM

  6. donney said he is going to marry me when i grow up, so­ there, you stinky bums

    From SALLY, on Wed 9 Sep 7:05PM

  7. post 78 is now post 75, so there !

    From SALLY, on Wed 9 Sep 7:04PM

  8. Come on England lets qualifie in style!!

    From Tom M, on Wed 9 Sep 7:02PM

  9. leave donney alone, he is nice, i gave post 78 the­ treatment for you donney

    From SALLY, on Wed 9 Sep 6:57PM

  10. NICE TO SEE OUR SKIRT WEARING BRETHREN ON HERE NICE AND­ EARLY......

    From yorkie, on Wed 9 Sep 6:57PM

  11. Go Donney my son Give 'em 'ell
    From your­ cockney sparra'

    From allun13, on Wed 9 Sep 6:51PM

  12. they fit try this time o but it is never sure they­ will reach final show down.

    From SEGUN, on Wed 9 Sep 6:39PM
  13. Comment hidden due to its low rating. Show

    well advised??? about what ya drunken retarded jock­ muppet!! what ya gonna do,throw ya empty tennants extra­ cans at me?? pmsl!! lets all have a giggle ltrs when­ george burley and the rest of the team (words used­ lightly) get their @#$% stuffed big time and miss out­ on another world cup!!! lmao

    From gary62turner, on Wed 9 Sep 6:31PM

  14. love that donneys comment 74 priceless

    From garylocker, on Wed 9 Sep 6:31PM

  15. all lucky... Cro dont miss 4 main player...
    With your­ team u should kill all the others , best defence in the­ world plus strikers , apart from heski hehehe
    I think­ lack of confidence is main problem with England
    do not­ look at recent games cos most of the team u beat so­ far r rubbish
    But when coms to games like Germany ,­ Italy , Spain , Brazil , Argentina... u suck...

    From Danny, on Wed 9 Sep 6:22PM

  16. England cannot expect to get a lucky penalty­ tonight,they will have to play better than Saturday if­ they want to win,Croatia will exploit the defence and­ find a way through with their attacking game.We will be­ lucky to survive,Rooney will get booked or even sent­ off.J D must play if we are to have any chance.

    From Michael, on Wed 9 Sep 6:18PM

  17. England will win 3-1 no problem and but Croatia
    will­ still qualify as they are a very good team.
    It's­ not about revenge either as we had that away,
    it's­ about taking our chance and qualifying for the World­ Cup.
    Come on England.

    From M, on Wed 9 Sep 6:18PM

  18. read on you dumb scottish @#$% i corrected myself and­ dont go on to me about capitals when you cant even find­ caps lock? do you know what caps lock is donney? do you­ know how to feed yourself donney? i sincerely doubt you­ do. suck my balls

    From paddy, on Wed 9 Sep 6:16PM

  19. hey donny, are you one of these withdrawal sympton kids­ the best
    ran down the leg,you write some @#$%

    From deva, on Wed 9 Sep 6:06PM

  20. Croatia have become the new Germany and we all know­ what happened to the old Germany.

    From perth184, on Wed 9 Sep 6:06PM
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