England Face Croatia in Rijeka Before Thousands of Children

England will head into Saturday’s Nations League trip to Croatia without Nico O’Reilly after the midfielder returned to Manchester City with an injury. O’Reilly had already missed Tuesday’s win over Czechia, and Thomas Tuchel must now prepare his side for a highly unusual assignment in Rijeka without him.

The match at HNK Rijeka Stadium, which holds around 8,200, was ordered to be played behind closed doors as part of Croatia’s UEFA punishment for crowd trouble during last year’s game against France at the Stade de France. Croatia were also barred from taking away supporters to their 2-1 victory over Czech Republic last weekend.

However, the stadium will not be empty. UEFA regulations allow children aged under 14 to enter closed-door fixtures free of charge, and local schools are expected to bring thousands of pupils, accompanied by teachers and parents. Between 3,000 and 6,000 children could attend, creating a noisy home backdrop despite the official spectator ban.

England and Croatia have experienced the same arrangement before. Their October 2018 meeting in Rijeka finished 0-0 in front of schoolchildren after Croatia had also been sanctioned, with the youngsters providing the only significant crowd noise inside the ground.

A limited number of England supporters will be there this time. The Football Association secured 100 complimentary places for fans with the highest number of away-match caps, while UEFA partners may also attend. Each team has an allocation of up to 20 VIP guests.

Croatia punishment follows Paris disorder

The sanctions stemmed from serious incidents around Croatia’s match in France. Seven people were detained by French police over suspected Nazi salutes during the march towards the stadium, although all were released without charges because of insufficient evidence.

Inside the ground, Croatian fans used fireworks and smoke devices, while batons and sharpened wooden sticks were reportedly found in the away end. UEFA’s disciplinary action followed, leaving Croatia to stage the England fixture without regular supporters.

The absence of a normal away allocation may remove some of the usual hostility from an international trip, but Tuchel’s players will still face a distinctive test. Thousands of young Croatian fans are expected to generate a sharp, persistent noise from the stands as England chase important Nations League points.