England at Croatia, Nations League: O'Reilly out, Konsa fit, Rijeka match mostly behind closed doors

Mixed · 2England play Croatia in Rijeka on Saturday 3 October 2026 in the UEFA Nations League, kicking off at 5pm BST (6pm local). 1 2 Mixed · 2Both sides have won one and lost one. England lost 3-2 to Spain and then beat Czechia 2-0 in Prague. Croatia beat Czechia 2-1 and then lost 4-1 to Spain. 2 1 Mixed · 2Manchester City left-back Nico O'Reilly, 21, has left the England camp and returned to his club for tests. He will miss the Croatia game and next Tuesday's home game against the Czechs at Wembley, and England did not call up a replacement. 1 2

Centre · 1Thomas Tuchel, England's head coach, said O'Reilly had to leave camp for treatment because the discomfort was too painful and he could not come back on the pitch. Tuchel said O'Reilly is the only player unavailable and everyone else finished Friday's training. 3 Centre · 1Arsenal centre-back Ezri Konsa has recovered from a minor injury and trained fully on Friday. Tuchel called him "a key player for us" and said Marc Guehi should be ready and very likely to start on the other side of defence. Konsa had been an unused substitute against Czechia. 3 Centre · 1The Evening Standard expects Lewis Hall of Newcastle to start again at left-back and Jordan Pickford to replace James Trafford in goal, as Tuchel had told both goalkeepers before the Spain game. Its predicted XI is Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Konsa, Branthwaite, Hall; Anderson, Scott; Saka, Bellingham, Gordon; Kane. 1

Left · 1Al Jazeera's probable England XI differs: Trafford in goal, Chalobah and Guehi at centre-back, Lewis-Skelly and Anderson in midfield, and Rogers in the attacking line. 2 Centre · 1The Standard lists Declan Rice, Cole Palmer, Marcus Rashford, Kobbie Mainoo and Tino Livramento as having dropped out of the squad before the first game against Spain. It also says Tuchel may pick a stronger team in Rijeka than against the Czechs, and may rest Elliot Anderson at some point. 1 Left · 1For Croatia, Al Jazeera reports centre-back Martin Erlic is out until mid-October and right-back Josip Juranovic is out with illness. Its probable XI includes Livakovic, Gvardiol, Modric (41), Kovacic and Perisic. 2

Centre · 1The match is mostly behind closed doors under a UEFA sanction on Croatia linked to fan incidents, including racism and discrimination, at the March 2025 Nations League quarter-final against France. UEFA ruled on 19 May 2025 that Croatia's next home fixture would be played without supporters. England are the first team to visit Croatia in a UEFA competition since that France match. 4 Centre · 1Children under 14 from schools and football academies may attend under an exception in Article 73 of UEFA's disciplinary regulations. UEFA first expected around 3,000 children plus carers, but the Croatian federation now expects 5,500 to 6,000 in the 8,279-capacity stadium. England will have 100 complimentary tickets for Supporters Travel Club members. 4 Centre · 1Tuchel said playing behind closed doors is "never nice" and "a strange atmosphere", but he was glad for the children and the travelling fans and warned his players it is "a crucial match". 4

Mixed · 2The sides last met at the World Cup, where England won 4-2 in a group game on 17 June in Arlington, Texas. Harry Kane scored twice and Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham once each, according to Al Jazeera. The Standard calls the match a six-goal thriller and names Kane and Bellingham among the scorers. Slaven Bilic is back for a second spell as Croatia manager. 2 4