Inggris Hadapi Kroasia di Laga Pembuka Piala Dunia 2026

Persaingan sengit langsung tersaji di Grup L Piala Dunia 2026 saat tim nasional Inggris dijadwalkan menghadapi Kroasia pada laga pembuka di AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas, Amerika Serikat, pada Kamis, 18 Juni 2026 pukul 03.00 WIB.

Pertandingan ini menjadi pembuktian awal bagi kedua tim besar demi mengamankan poin krusial, di mana pelatih Thomas Tuchel akan menandai debutnya memimpin The Three Lions di panggung dunia dengan komposisi skuad yang memicu perhatian.

Tuchel telah menetapkan susunan pemain utama Inggris untuk menghadapi tantangan ini dengan memilih Jude Bellingham di posisi nomor 10, sementara Anthony Gordon dan Noni Madueke juga dipercaya turun sejak menit awal karena Bukayo Saka belum sepenuhnya bugar.

Manajer Inggris Thomas Tuchel mengonfirmasi bahwa pemilihan Bellingham di atas Morgan Rogers merupakan keputusan yang sangat ketat, namun ia memilih susunan yang sama seperti laga uji coba terakhir.

Kapten Inggris Harry Kane dipastikan memimpin lini serang dalam kondisi fisik terbaiknya setelah mencetak 61 gol bersama Bayern Munich sepanjang musim lalu, sebuah pencapaian yang mematahkan keraguan mengenai kebugarannya di akhir musim kompetisi yang padat.

"Do I have to accept that he has tailed off in seasons before? It is not how I have seen it," kata Vincent Kompany, pelatih Bayern Munich.

Kompany menegaskan bahwa penyerang andalannya tersebut berada dalam kondisi yang sangat tepat dan tidak terlihat kelelahan seperti narasi yang sempat berkembang pada turnamen-turnamen sebelumnya.

"Let’s not put it as a statement that he looks tired and this is what happens every year, it is not true. I've seen his impact. He is where he needs to be at this moment in time," ujar Vincent Kompany, pelatih Bayern Munich.

Keberhasilan Kane meraih dua gelar Bundesliga dan satu trofi DFB-Pokal setelah sempat melewati musim pertama tanpa gelar di Jerman dinilai telah mengubah mentalitas serta cara pandang orang lain terhadap dirinya.

"Not winning anything in that first season actually helped him," ungkap seorang sumber kepada Daily Mail.

Sumber tersebut menambahkan bahwa situasi tersebut memotivasi Kane layaknya Pep Guardiola pada musim pertamanya di Manchester City.

"It motivates you. Harry has always been a winner, but you can see something different in his eyes now," tutur seorang sumber kepada Daily Mail.

Kondisi fisik Kane yang lebih segar juga terbantu oleh struktur kompetisi Liga Jerman yang memiliki masa istirahat musim dingin.

"He is free of the tribalism of the Premier League. His mind is clear. His body is better than ever. There is nothing to worry about," sebut sumber lain kepada The Mail.

Perubahan persepsi ini juga dirasakan langsung oleh sang penyerang menjelang pertandingan pembuka melawan Kroasia.

"The perception around me has probably changed in the last few years. The fact that I have won these trophies means I’m seen a bit differently from the outside, and maybe even team-mates," jelas Harry Kane, kapten timnas Inggris.

Jurnalis BILD Christian Falk mengonfirmasi bahwa Kane sangat menikmati istirahat musim dinginnya dan berada dalam bentuk terbaik.

"Everyone knows that players from the Premier League are tired at the end of the season," kata Christian Falk, jurnalis BILD.

Falk menambahkan bahwa Kane sempat berseloroh mengenai target trofi berikutnya sebelum meninggalkan Jerman.

"But Harry, well, he plays in Germany now! He told me how much he enjoyed his winter break with his family, and how good he feels now because of it," ucap Christian Falk, jurnalis BILD.

Menurut Falk, ketajaman Kane akan menjadi keuntungan besar bagi skuad Inggris di turnamen kali ini.

"Then, before he left, he said to us: 'This is the title for Bayern, guys, but I’m sorry, the next title won’t be for Germany!'. The good news for England is bad news for us - trust me, he is in top shape. This will be the best Harry Kane you have ever had in a tournament.

He said to us that he is wishing for a final against Germany. But yeah, we don’t have him, you do!" papar Christian Falk, jurnalis BILD.

Investasi besar Kane pada tim sains olahraga pribadi, termasuk fisioterapis Dr. Alejandro Elorriaga, turut menjadi faktor penting di balik kebugaran primanya.

"He’s a genius," cetus seorang sumber mengenai dokter tersebut.

Sumber yang mengetahui pengaturan tersebut menjelaskan kemampuan sang fisioterapis dalam menangani kebugaran fisik Kane.

"He’ll find a nerve in your arm connected to your ankle!" beber seorang sumber.

Di kubu lawan, pelatih Kroasia Zlatko Dalic menyadari sepenuhnya ancaman besar yang dibawa oleh Kane ke turnamen ini.

"They have the best striker in the world, they have Kane and Kane can do a hell of a lot," cetak Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Dalic menekankan bahwa timnya akan mempersiapkan diri dengan maksimal untuk meredam serangan sekaligus melancarkan tekanan.

"We will do a lot, we will do our best not only to defend ourselves but to attack, to go forward," tutur Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Ia juga mewaspadai situasi bola mati yang diperkirakan akan menyulitkan pasukannya.

"There will be set pieces, which will be quite difficult but we are prepared for that. I expect a great game and it will be a great preparation for the next two games in the group," urai Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Kroasia akan kembali mengandalkan kapten veteran Luka Modric yang akan menjalani pertandingan ke-199 bersama negaranya.

"He means a lot, both as a captain of our team and as a person," puji Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Dalic menganggap gelandang AC Milan tersebut sebagai sosok krusial di dalam lapangan.

"He is my right hand on the pitch," sebut Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Keberadaan para pemain senior dinilai membantu membimbing pilar-pilar muda Kroasia dalam menghadapi tekanan turnamen.

"It means a lot to the team that we have a couple of older players alongside Luka who are leading the younger players and they can do very good things," sambung Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Dalic merasa beruntung memiliki Modric sebagai panutan dalam tim nasional.

"They are very lucky to have him, Luka, as a role model in how to fight for the national team jersey and we're lucky to still have him with us," tambah Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Meskipun memiliki rekam jejak impresif di dua edisi Piala Dunia sebelumnya, Dalic menegaskan fokus timnya kini adalah masa depan.

"That's history for us," tegas Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Ia menyatakan bahwa tim tidak bisa hanya hidup dalam sejarah masa lalu.

"We can't just live in history; it's new matches and a new World Cup where we want to do very good things," imbuh Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Ekspektasi tinggi dari publik kini membayangi langkah Kroasia di turnamen ini.

"We have very high expectations and everybody is expecting a lot from Croatia. This was not the case before but we are ready for this," aku Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Dalic menjamin skuadnya siap menampilkan performa terbaik demi memenuhi ekspektasi tersebut.

"What is behind us is history; it remains written but we are ready for these major expectations, to present ourselves in the best possible light," kata Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Target utama Kroasia saat ini adalah memastikan kelolosan dari fase grup terlebih dahulu.

"We were quite close at the last two World Cups and nobody expected this, but our first objective is to go through the group stage," pungkas Zlatko Dalic, pelatih timnas Kroasia.

Kapten Kroasia Luka Modric menegaskan bahwa timnya sama sekali tidak gentar menghadapi nama besar Inggris.

"We respect everyone, but we're not afraid of anyone. Now it's up to us to prove it on the pitch. We want to make all Croatians proud," cetus Luka Modric, kapten timnas Kroasia.

Modric meyakini bahwa persatuan tim menjadi modal utama Kroasia untuk bersaing di level tertinggi.

"The greatest strength of Croatia in recent editions of the World Cup has always been unity, and it must be like that this time as well," ucap Luka Modric, kapten timnas Kroasia.

Ia menegaskan kehadiran timnya di turnamen ini bukan sekadar sebagai pelengkap.

"We are not here to participate, to act as an extra. When the group is compact, we can compete with anyone," seru Luka Modric, kapten timnas Kroasia.

Mengenai spekulasi masa depannya di level klub maupun tim nasional, gelandang berusia 40 tahun itu memilih mengesampingkannya.

"I'm focused exclusively on the tournament because I want to help the team in the best possible way," tandas Luka Modric, kapten timnas Kroasia.

Di sisi lain, gelandang Inggris Jordan Henderson memberikan apresiasi tinggi terhadap kualitas Modric yang dianggapnya sebagai lawan terbaik sepanjang karier.

"I'm not even just saying this -- for me, he's probably the best that I've played against in my career, midfield-wise," sanjung Jordan Henderson, gelandang timnas Inggris.

Henderson berharap sang maestro tidak berada dalam performa puncaknya saat menghadapi Inggris nanti.

"Hopefully he doesn't perform as well as we know he can against us, but I haven't seen him have a bad game yet, so it'll be a difficult test, of course, for whoever plays in midfield," aku Jordan Henderson, gelandang timnas Inggris.

Namun, Henderson juga mengingatkan rekan-rekannya agar tidak hanya terpaku pada sosok Modric semata.

"For us, it's just about focusing on ourselves because it's not just him [Modric], there are other very, very good players in their squad as well," ingat Jordan Henderson, gelandang timnas Inggris.

Selain membahas lawan, Henderson turut memuji Jude Bellingham yang dianggap membawa faktor pembeda di dalam skuad The Three Lions.

"What he gives us is just something really special. I think he really gives us the X factor in our team," puji Jordan Henderson, gelandang timnas Inggris.

Henderson menekankan betapa pentingnya kehadiran Bellingham sebagai rekan setim yang luar biasa di dalam lapangan maupun saat latihan.

"I think if you ask any player in the group, they'll tell you how much of a good teammate he is, how well he trains," tutup Jordan Henderson, gelandang timnas Inggris.