England fans fear the worst in Croatia

England hope to banish the memory of the two defeats to Croatia which ended their involvement in Euro 2008

By Chris Mason
Europe correspondent, BBC News, Zagreb

"We are better. Two times better than you!"

The cheeky, adolescent shout came from a group of Croatian teenagers - and I was pretty sure it was directed at me.

I was walking up to the imposing Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb to watch the England football team train ahead of their crucial World Cup Qualifier against Croatia here later.

As I turned round, the four lads started giggling. I couldn't help but admire their chutzpah - and their fluent English.

"Oh yes, we are better than you. Fabio Capello is not as good a coach as ours," suggests 13-year-old Filip, who shares his surname with the Croatian coach Slaven Bilic, a top target for a number of Premier League clubs.

I can't see us winning the way we're playing Richard Hulbert

Filip's friend Fran Prelevio, 11, is playing keepy uppy next to us as we chat - and he's also proud of his team and how they'll perform.

"We have an excellent side," he says. "And we know how to play with confidence."

This last point, coupled with their optimism, is a world away from the mood amongst England supporters.

They have been arriving to collect their match tickets from the Westin Hotel in central Zagreb.

It is also where England are hosting their news conference, so fans hang around to catch a glimpse of Fabio Capello.

With their loud shirts and often loud voices, they cut quite a contrasting look with the immaculately dressed, effortlessly polite staff in the 5-star hotel's opulent reception.

'Gone backwards'

Among the supporters is Dave Green from Nottingham, who's been following England home and away since 1978.

Nicknamed Tarmac Dave amongst the travelling England fans, he is known as a "top capper" because of the number of games he has been to.

Croatia's young fans display more confidence than the England supporters

"We have got to perform as a team," Mr Green, 44, says.

"It'd be nice to come and see England play a decent game of football - give 100 percent and more.

"We have gone a bit backwards in recent years and Croatia are better than what people think. I'd be really happy with a draw in this game."

Richard Hulbert, 23, from Bury, agrees: "Coming away with a point is the best we can hope for at the moment - I can't see us winning the way we're playing.

"Certainly the performance on Saturday night didn't instil any confidence in the travelling support. Just look at how few England fans have come out here," he tells me.

'Overpaid muppets'

The figures are pretty striking. It is thought around 3,000 fans are making the journey, half the number that travelled here for the corresponding qualifying fixture for Euro 2008.

England lost that game and went on to lose to Croatia at Wembley too - ensuring the team didn't qualify for this summer's tournament in Austria and Switzerland.

That failure, coupled with England's patchy form in recent months, means there's a dogged, unshakeable pessimism lingering amongst most of the England faithful.

We owe them big time, so let's get a result James Watson

And Saturday night's unconvincing 2-0 win over the minnows of Andorra didn't do much to restore confidence.

One disgusted fan there told me afterwards England were "a bunch of overpaid muppets".

Contrast that outlook with England's opponents. Euro 2008 quarter finalists, ranked 5th in the world, above Brazil and Argentina, and with a prodigious home record.

It's a difference that has not escaped James Watson from Staines in Middlesex.

"It is going to be very tough. They've not lost at competitive match at home since 1994," Fulham fan Mr Watson, 23, points out.

"Obviously that's a great record and they've beaten us the last two times in a row. But who knows? We owe them big time, so let's get a result."

A flickering ray of gutsy optimism. A rarity amongst England fans here.