England need only a draw against Croatia at Wembley on Thursday to secure a UEFA Nations League quarterfinal place, with captain Harry Kane also preparing to present his newly won Ballon d’Or trophy to home supporters, according to Al Jazeera’s match preview.

The Group A3 match in London is scheduled for November 12 at 19:45 GMT. England enter the fixture with nine points from four matches, three behind leaders Spain, after three wins and one defeat. Croatia sit third and are looking to respond to a heavy loss in the reverse fixture.

England won 7-0 in Rijeka last month, with Kane and Bukayo Saka each scoring twice. Jude Bellingham, Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers supplied the other goals. But manager Thomas Tuchel warned against treating that result as a template for Thursday’s contest.

“For us, it’s important not to chase the same result,” Tuchel said. “We expect a reaction from Croatia and we expect to overcome this mental challenge for us to start from scratch.”

Croatia followed that defeat with a 2-1 loss to Spain. Manager Slaven Bilic said the performance against Spain represented the standard he wanted, highlighting togetherness and aggression. He stressed the importance of finishing third to maintain Croatia’s League A status.

England’s preparations include several selection concerns. Saka is absent with a quadriceps injury, while Marc Guehi has withdrawn with a hip injury and been replaced by Dan Burn. Ezri Konsa and Djed Spence will also miss the Croatia match, although both are expected to recover for Sunday’s trip to Spain. Myles Lewis-Skelly is suspended.

Jobe Bellingham’s first senior call-up offers the possibility of an appearance alongside older brother Jude. If Jobe plays, they would become the 22nd set of brothers to represent England and the first since Gary and Phil Neville in 2007, Al Jazeera reported.

Croatia will be without veteran winger Ivan Perisic following his red card against Spain. Luka Sucic is also considered highly likely to miss the match because of a fever.

The group campaign continues on Sunday, when England travel to Madrid to face Spain and Croatia host Czechia.

Sources