Croatia’s Deadly Weakness — Veteran Stamina Can’t Last Beyond 70 Minutes

Croatia’s team has experience as an advantage, but age is a fatal drawback. Modrić is 40, Perišić is 37, Kramarić is 34, and Kovačić is 32. The average age of the starting lineup may be one of the highest among the top 32 teams.

In the heat of Dallas, how long can these veterans’ stamina hold up? Most likely, it begins to dip after 70 minutes. England’s tactics are very clear: in the first half, they press at high intensity, constantly attacking Croatia’s back line and draining the veterans’ energy. By after 70 minutes, they replace them with fresh legs like Saka and Rashford, using speed to hit Croatia’s defense—which is already exhausted.

Croatia’s head coach Dalić himself also admits that key players like Modrić and Kovačić are far from their best form. In the warm-up matches, they only barely beat Slovenia 2-1 thanks to Pašalić’s stoppage-time winner, and at one point the situation was quite passive. Earlier, they lost 0-2 to Belgium, leaving defensive weaknesses fully exposed.

If England takes the lead in the first half, Croatia will have to push forward to attack—an impact that would be devastating to the veterans’ stamina. Once their stamina collapses, more and more goals will follow. I’m betting that England will widen the score after 70 minutes in the second half, ultimately ending with a narrow win.

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