caption John Stones and Harry Maguire. source Getty Images England and Croatia contest an all-European 2018 FIFA World Cup semifinal on Wednesday evening. Croatian players like Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić, and Mario Mandžukić have all impressed at the tournament in Russia, but some of the team may be suffering burnout. Croatia has been forced to play more soccer than England, it has older players, and recovery may be an issue ahead of this evening’s encounter. Croatia defender Dejan Lovren also has a poor history when it comes to handling World Cup top scorer Harry Kane, as the pair have gone head-to-head in the Premier League – a battle Kane resoundingly won. With key advantages favouring England, Gareth Southgate’s men may well be poised to teach Croatia an historic lesson. Read all of Business Insider’s World Cup coverage here. Croatia has a lot to thank England for when it comes to soccer. After all, it was the English who introduced the country to the sport, in its modern form, in the late 19th century. The first soccer match ever recorded in Croatia was in 1873, according to The Palgrave International Handbook of Football and Politics, and was played by English workers… Read full this story
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England has 3 massive advantages heading into the Croatia clash — and it could determine who makes the World Cup final have 331 words, post on www.businessinsider.sg at July 11, 2018. This is cached page on Drudgereport. If you want remove this page, please contact us.