Croatia face England in early test of Slaven Bilic’s return

Croatia host England in Rijeka on Saturday, October 3, in the UEFA Nations League, giving Slaven Bilic an early home test in his second spell as national team manager. Croatia have beaten Czechia and lost to Spain in his first two matches back; England arrive level with them on three points in Group A3.

The match comes less than three months after Croatia’s football federation appointed Bilic to succeed Zlatko Dalic. It offers a chance to see how Bilic’s proposed attacking approach holds up against another group opponent, although two matches provide too little evidence to judge whether he can make it work over time.

Why Slaven Bilic returned to manage Croatia

The Croatian Football Federation announced Bilic’s appointment on July 13, saying its executive board had approved it unanimously after Dalic left following the 2026 World Cup. Bilic previously managed the national team from 2006 to 2012. Federation president Marijan Kustic said it respected Dalic’s decision to end his tenure and believed Bilic was the right successor.

Bilic acknowledged the expectations created by Dalic’s tenure when the federation announced his return. He said he wanted to bring energy, ambition and determination, and described his aim as making Croatia powerful, courageous and successful. Those were his stated ambitions on taking the job, rather than results the opening matches have established.

That proposed shift raises a practical question for a squad that still includes Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Ivan Perisic. The Guardian identifies Croatia’s creative midfield as a strength under Dalic, while asking whether Bilic can implement his approach with a group that continues to rely on experienced players. His intentions are clear in the reporting; their lasting effect is not.

What Croatia’s first two Nations League matches showed

Croatia began with a 2-1 win away to Czechia on September 26. According to the federation’s match report, Modric put Croatia ahead in the 47th minute, Czechia equalised seven minutes later and substitute Marco Pasalic headed the winner in the 77th. The result gave Bilic three points in his return debut.

The second match ended in a 4-1 defeat away to Spain on September 29. Dion Beljo equalised for Croatia in the 28th minute, but Spain restored its lead three minutes later and scored twice more after the interval. The Guardian says Bilic rotated his team heavily for that game and cautions against drawing firm conclusions from only two matches.

Modric has already supplied one prominent moment of Bilic’s return. The Guardian reported that the 41-year-old scored Croatia’s first goal of the new spell against Czechia and embraced his manager afterward. Bilic called Modric ‘everything to us’ and ‘just incredible’, a measure of the captain’s continuing importance to the side.

England fixture and the Group A3 picture

England’s Football Association lists Saturday’s match at Stadion HNK Rijeka for 5 p.m. British time. UEFA’s results show that England lost 3-2 to Spain before beating Czechia 2-0, while Croatia beat Czechia and then lost to Spain. After two rounds, the Croatian federation listed Spain first on six points, England and Croatia on three each, and Czechia on none.

The fixture also follows a recent World Cup meeting. England’s FA says England beat Croatia 4-2 in the 2026 tournament’s group stage. It records seven England wins, two draws and three Croatia wins across the countries’ 12 meetings. Those results give context to Saturday’s match, but do not establish how either side will perform in Rijeka.

The stands are expected to look different from those at an ordinary home match. FourFourTwo reported that UEFA ordered Croatia to play its next home fixture without supporters following incidents around its March 2025 Nations League quarter-final matches against France. The publication said a small delegation of England supporters could attend, with 100 complimentary tickets allocated to eligible supporters’ club members. The underlying UEFA disciplinary ruling was not available in the recorded sources, so those details remain attributed to FourFourTwo.

Saturday’s match is Croatia’s first home fixture of this Nations League campaign, according to the federation. It will give Bilic another competitive occasion to pursue the more assertive football described by the Guardian, following a narrow win and a three-goal defeat. The result, and whether that approach can be sustained, remain open questions before kick-off.