Gareth Southgate is hoping his England Under-21s team continue to improve after they were drawn against Croatia in the European Championship play-off.
The Young Lions topped their qualifying group, winning nine of their ten matches.
They now face Nenad Gracan’s side over two legs in October for a place at next summer’s finals in Czech Republic – with the home leg being played at Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Molineux Stadium.
England v Croatia
UEFA U21 Championship
Play-Off first leg
Date TBC
Wolverhampton Wanderers FC
Southgate said: “We’re hoping the team can play in the style they have done throughout the qualifying campaign. That’s key for us.
“We feel that we can keep on improving each time we take to the field. If we can do that then we’ve got a really good chance of getting through.”
He continued: “We’re excited about our team. We’ve got a team who can play well and they continue to improve. Our style of play is changing a little bit and we hope to show that in these two matches.
“Now it’s about reproducing that form in the pressure of a play-off situation. It will be a great experience for our young players.”
Croatia topped their qualifying group, winning six of their eight games – including two away wins against their nearest group rivals, Ukraine and Switzerland, and Southgate is expecting a tough challenge.
He said: “We knew that whichever team we drew it would be a difficult game. We want to get to a Euro finals and you expect to play difficult opposition along the way.
“Croatia came through a tough group with Ukraine and Switzerland so it’s a great test for us.”
