🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 England vs 🇭🇷 Croatia

England have a German manager for the first time ever — Thomas Tuchel — which is either a bold move or the punchline to a very long joke depending on your age. He did win the Champions League with Chelsea, which is more than any England manager has done, so perhaps don't mention the nationality.

Harry Kane is England's all-time top scorer and has never won a single trophy in his career. Not one. Cup finals, tournament semis — always the bridesmaid. He's 31 now. This is probably his best shot. Try to look like you knew that already.

Nine players in this squad have never been to a World Cup before. Tuchel clearly isn't interested in sentimentality, which fans either find exciting or terrifying depending on what the first match looks like.

England open against Croatia on June 17 — the exact team they beat to reach the 2018 final, who then beat them in the Euros semi-final. It's become England's recurring nightmare fixture. Mention this and watch a proper fan wince slightly.

The media will spend the whole tournament asking if England are going to 'bring it home.' Nobody agrees what home means in this context. It's been 60 years. If it comes up, nod slowly and look thoughtful rather than answering.

Croatia were World Cup finalists in 2018 and finished third in 2022. For a nation of four million people, that is genuinely extraordinary. They've done this largely on the back of one exceptional generation of players — and that generation is nearly done.

Luka Modrić is still in the squad at 40. The Real Madrid midfielder is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation and this is clearly his final World Cup. Every game he plays has a valedictory quality to it. Worth actually watching.

After Modrić, Croatian football faces a real question about what comes next. The current squad relies heavily on players who are about to age out. The next generation is less obvious. This is probably the end of an era.

Croatia are in Group L with England, Ghana and Panama. They'll compete for second with England, and a late Modrić run to the knockouts is very much on the cards. You never quite write Croatia off when he's playing.

They almost never concede cheap goals — Croatia have been one of the most defensively solid sides at the last two World Cups. That's why they keep reaching the late stages despite not being fancied at the start.