Kane-led England face Midfield Maestros Croatia

A photo of the captains of England and Croatia, who will face each other today.

      Gareth Southgate's England have reached the World Cup semi-finals after 28 years, and led by captain and top-scorer in this World Cup, Harry Kane, they have the abilities to overcome Croatia and their world-class midfield. The teams last met in a major tournament in the Euro 2004, with England winning 4-2. 

        England have primarily gone with a 3-5-2 lineup with Harry Kane as a "genuine striker" and Raheem Sterling as a link between midfield-defense and the captain. They have had good record in the Group stage, beating Tunisia and destroying Panama while losing to Belgium 0-1. The Round of 16 match was a heart-stopping occasion as Colombia put up a good fight, while they eased past the quarter-finals beating Sweden 2-0. England have much talent, but they are still a young team and may face a challenge against the more experienced Croatia side. On the other hand, England's 8 goals out of 11 in this World Cup have come from set pieces, with 3 from open play, so they might have an edge.

       Croatia have a lineup of 4-1-4-1, with Mario Mandžukić as the striker, while the key players Ivan Rakitić and captain Luka Modrić in the attacking-midfield have loads of experience from their respective clubs and are the backbone of the team. They are the 5th team ever in World Cup history to win all 3 of their group stage matches, beating Nigeria, Argentina and Iceland while conceding only 1 goal. Their both knockout-stage matches have been decided on penalties, which puts some pressure on them. They have a fit defense, outstanding midfield, but rely on lucky chances, created by unusual circumstances, so they have to overcome this and CREATE set pieces to progress further into the competition.

       Match Info:

Match starts: 23:00 (Pakistan Standard Time)

Venue: Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow (Capacity:78,011)