Modric faces England as Croatia open World Cup campaign

Modric vs England, one more time

Your World Cup starts Wednesday against England in Dallas (1) (2). Luka Modric, 40, has been doing this for 20 years. The Guardian put it plainly: he has tormented England across two decades, and everyone is asking whether he can do it once more (1). This is Group L, opening night. England are favourites. Your team are not expected to win. That has never stopped Modric before.

Gvardiol staying at City

Bayern Munich tried again for Joško Gvardiol and will miss out again. Manchester City are closing in on a contract extension that ends the chase (4). Real Madrid were also watching, but Gvardiol looks set to stay where he is. Your best defender, locked down at one of the biggest clubs in the world.

Fan reactions

There is no panic among Croatia supporters ahead of the England match. A Reddit post about Tino Livramento missing the World Cup with a calf injury drew the response "He's already one of us" from an Arsenal fan, and plenty agree England losing a defender before Wednesday is a small gift. The mood elsewhere is nostalgic, 30 years ago to the day, Croatia beat Denmark to reach the Euro 96 quarter-finals, with Davor Šuker's chip over Peter Schmeichel still getting shared around. Read more on the Livramento news here.