England boss Southgate excited about Croatia rematch at Euro 2020

England manr Gareth Southgate waved away suggestions Croatia will be afraid of playing his team at Wembley in ir opening game at Euro 2020 after y came out in same group at draw in Bucharest. teams will face off on June 14 in Group D in what is likely to be a pivotal game in determining who tops section, which will also include Czech Republic and a play-off winner. Southgate was told Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic feared prospect of going to Wembley right at beginning of tournament, with London one of 12 European cities chosen to host matches.

"I think he's been tactically ecomical with truth re," was Southgate's response. England beat Croatia 2-1 at home last year in Nations League, having drawn 0-0 away. However, most significant recent meeting of nations came in 2018 World Cup semi-final in Moscow, when Croatia won 2-1 in extra time.

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'Interesting contrast'

"We have had three really good games, really tight games with m, with very little between teams all three times," Southgate added. "I think in last game in ir midfield y left (Chelsea's Mateo) Kovacic on bench which tells you a little bit about quality of players that y have, and it's quite an interesting contrast really.

"y have hugely experienced players, right throughout team, who have played big matches. "We are at or end of scale, very young, a lot of energy, but still learning and improving." 

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Southgate was also asked if match offered a real chance to exact revenge for that painful World Cup exit as England missed out on a first major tournament final since 1966. "I think you can never make up for losing in a World Cup semi-final unfortunately. "We felt that after Nations League. It was great to win that game but it didn't in any way redress it -- if I was Croatians, I kw which game I'd rar have won, so I think that will be long gone, but it is a really attractive fixture for everybody." 

England's second game will be on June 19 against a team to emerge from play-offs next March, eir rway, Serbia, Israel or Scotland. y will n have a final home group game against ar familiar opponent in Czechs, whom y trounced 5-0 at Wembley in qualifying but lost to 2-1 in Prague. "y are two teams who we have had really good results against and also poor results, so it is t a group we can be complacent about," Southgate added.

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Czechs will be returning to Wembley, scene of ir defeat by Germany in Euro 96 final. Southgate will also be forever linked to that tournament after missing a penalty in semi-final shoot-out loss to Germans. England is w preparing to host games at a major tournament for first time since n, with Wembley also having a last-16 game as well as both semi-finals and July 12 final. " tournament was a brilliant experience in '96, that's thing that is in my mind. For players to experience that, for our fans to experience that, and for three group matches to start with is going to be extra special," Southgate said.

problem for England is likely to come furr down line, however. If y win ir group, y will face Group F runners-up, probably Germany, France or Portugal, in last 16 in Dublin. Victory in that game would take m to a Rome quarter-final, possibly against Spain. Finishing second in ir group may actually be preferable path. "In end you want to try and win every game you play and at least have control of your destiny," Southgate insisted. 

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