Croatia boss Slaven Bilic has warned his side that England will "be on fire" when they travel to Wembley on Wednesday.

England need just a point to ensure they qualify for the Euro 2008 finals following Israel's defeat of Russia, while the Croats are already assured of their progress to Austria and Switzerland next summer despite their shock defeat to Macedonia.

But despite the absence of a string of star names, including Wayne Rooney and captain John Terry, Bilic is well aware of the threat McClaren's side will pose.

"They are going to be on fire, there is no team in the world that is favourites against England at Wembley," he told Sky Sports News.

"We are missing players, but they are missing more.

"It's true they have a lot of good players and they have a strong base to choose from.

"Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Wayne Rooney and Michael Owen are all good players and it is a big blow, but I think there are good players in replacement."

Bilic is keen to see how his players react following their defeat to Macedonia - a game which he admits left his side "drained".

"Wembley is a great test for us. We need to see how we react to a game that is a really big, big one for a strong side like England," he added.

"We need to do everything we can and try to play the best we can.

"Saturday night drained us physically."

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