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The two teams did not participate in any World Cup semi-finals this millennium. For England and Croatia on Wednesday (20:00 CEST / live ORF a) at Luschniki Stadium in Moscow offers a historic opportunity. Four days later, the World Cup trophy will be awarded. Both teams are only one step away from the grand finale.
1:30, July 11, 2018
At the European Championship in 1996, Gareth Southgate, the current boss of the team, in the semi-final against the Germans missed a sixth decisive penalty. His calm leadership style remains the 47-year-old but also faithful to the duel with Croatia. "None of us is satisfied and no one is particularly energetic," said Southgate. "It will be a very balanced game in which we will have to make sure that we control what we can control."
The excellent Croatian midfielder Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic are in the lead. The boss of the Croatian team, Zlatko Dalic, called his axis "best tournament midfielder". In addition, the Croats put in comparison with the previous opponents of England to more possession of football. English offensive forces Dele Alli, Raheem Sterling and Jesse Lingard will have to do a lot of defensive work to not leave Jordan Henderson alone in the midfield.
From his starting lineup, already in the knockout stages, Colombia (in penalties) and Sweden (2: 0), Southgate does not want to move away. He should also continue to trust Raheem Sterling, who is in the backlog because of his scorching at home. The Manchester City striker has not met in the English team since October 2015. In 42 international matches, there are only two goals to book. "Raheem is fundamental in the way we play," commented Southgate, but his manners and his agility.
For the scoring goal in England anyway another leader – Harry Kane. The captain leads with six goals the list of championship shooters. No less because of him, the "Three Lions" against Croatia are considered a slight favorite. Even Henderson is a lucky charm: with the Liverpool captain on the field, England has lost none of the last 30 matches – the longest run of invincibility of any English player
. "We know how strong they are at dead balls," said Modric, who wants to outperform the 1998 generation with his men. At that time, Croatia had become third after a defeat in the semifinal against France (1: 2 after the head). It was never closer to the final. 1998 is currently a long-term topic for Croatians. "We want to keep writing our own story," said Rakitic, who used every decisive penalty in the quarterfinals and quarterfinals.
The 120-minute penalty shootout against Denmark and Russia, however, exhausted the forces. England is hoping for a slightly better freshness. "But we have also seen extra time and penalties, and we know the physical and emotional consequences," Southgate said of the draw against Colombia.
Dalic looks alike. "Playing twice for 120 minutes is not easy, some players have small physical problems, but being in the semifinals is a motivation that has given us new strength and new energy." You are not afraid of anyone anyway. Or, as Mario Mandzukic, a fierce striker, said: "We will let the last drop of sweat on the ground to reach our goal."
Mandzukic could be on the front line when Andrej Kramaric in the formation Entrant for tactical reasons, midfielder Marcelo Brozovic has to step down. A big question mark behind the use of Sime Vrsaljko. If the right back of Atlético de Madrid can not play because of his knee injury, defensive midfielder Vedran Corluka will have to leave and quarter-final scorer Domagoj Vida will leave Russia at the last race. For the Salzburg legionnaire, Duje Caleta-Car remains the reserve bench
England has won four of the seven duels with Croatia in two defeats and one draw, the two youngest of the Cup qualifiers. 2010 world with 4: 1 and 5: 1, In a big tournament, the two teams had only met once before: At the 2004 European Championships, the Croatians were under the direction of the boss of the Otto Baric team in Lisbon 2-4.
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