Croatia v England (2010 FIFA World Cup™) countdown

2008-9-10 20:00:00 GMT+01:00

The Croatia v England rematch is only a few months away! In September 2008, Capello faces his first major test as England Manager, potentially on the very same ground Steve Mclaren, and in particular Paul Robinson, experienced one of the worst nights of their international career.

Images of Borat smiling from an advertising board are also conjured up with the inclusion of Kazakhstan in the same qualifying group. Could they provide a shock of their own? Check out our quick guide here.

Euro 2008 is now over, and what an incredible tournament it's been! Spain are the champions, their brand of sexy football sweeping aside all that dared stand in their way. 44 years of underachievement and hurt were forgotten as Luis Aragones's side swatted a Germany team that had performed miracles to reach the final. We were told to 'Expect Emotions' and how right they were! Turkey served up some of the most memorable highlights with two incredible late finishes. Croatia, Holland, Portugal, Russia and of course Spain wowed us with their beautiful and inventive play. Italy and Romania were the spoilers of the tournament, with Sweden, Portugal, France, Czech Republic and Poland all left hoping for an improvement at South Africa 2010. And lest we forget our perfect hosts Switzerland and Austria, who both failed to qualify from their respective groups, it's a case of better luck next time and thank you for the memories! Check out our Euro 2008 blog, review of the tournament, review of the Croatian players' performances, official BACF Team of the Tournament and featured articles "Euro 2008 - An Englishman's perspective" (following intrepid reporter Adrian Atterby on his quest as an Englishman supporting Croatia).

Presenting Tony Henry

Tony Henry

Meet the Croatian team's unofficial mascot for Euro 2008 - acclaimed opera singer Tony Henry! Why is Tony the new mascot? Rewind to Wembley, 21st November 2007, England v Croatia. Tony was billed to sing the national anthems for the teams in what was the new ground’s biggest fixture to date. Tony was the ideal candidate for the job as he’d already sung at the 2007 FA Cup Final, Buckingham Palace and the Royal Albert Hall.

News

27 August 2008: Dinamo face mission impossible

Dinamo Zagreb take on Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League tonight as they try and reverse a 2-0 deficit. It will be an emotional return for Darijo Srna who was a key player for Hajduk Split before his move to Ukraine.

27 August 2008: Croatian midfield star ruled out for 3 months

It's a body blow for Croatia and Portsmouth as Niko Kranjcar has been ruled out for at least 3 months following surgery the ankle injury he picked up whilst training with the national side.

25 August 2008: Croatian Player Weekend Review - Bundesliga

Hamburg v Karlsruhe - A lively game that took off when Ivica Olic missed with a bullet diving header on 25 minutes after a curling cross maximised the space he'd found in the box. Unfortunately his powerful effort was straight at the keeper who parried his effort.

Werder Bremen v Schalke - The big game of the weekend! Could Ivan Rakitic continue the incredible form he's shown this season? He made his first impression early in the first half when a misplaced back header gave him a half-chance from a tight angle. His acrobatic snap-volley however flew just over the bar.

21 August 2008: Croatian Player Weekend Preview - Bundesliga

Ivan Rakitic will be looking to maintain his form in what is an outstanding individual start to the season. He followed up 3 assists in Schalke's first Bundesliga game with 2 goals in Croatia's international victory over Slovenia. His team will be hoping for more in what is the first clash of the title challengers as Schalke travel to Bremen. New Werder Bremen signing Claudio Pizarro will be hoping to make his debut.

21 August 2008: England show little to worry Croatia

If last night was a chance for Fabio Capello to show how far England have come during his reign, it was missed. 'New' England look very much like McClaren's England, with players playing out of position in a toothless midfield behind an isolated attack. 60,000 fans inside a three quarter full stadium made their feelings known both during the game and at the final whistle even as Joe Cole toe-poked an injury time equaliser to spare the team's blushes.