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Croatia coach Slaven Bilic, the man who ended England's hopes of playing in Euro 2008, is now relying on Fabio Capello's men to beat Ukraine and
boost his country's chances of qualifying for the World Cup.
The former West Ham star says he will be a nervous wreck during tomorrow's match but is desperately hoping Fabio Capello's side do him a favour.
Croatia, who beat England home and away to stop them qualifying for Euro 2008, are in serious danger of missing out on the World Cup next year following their 5-1 defeat at Wembley last month. They lead Ukraine by two points in the race to finish runners-up to England in Group Six and claim a place in the play-offs, but they have played one game more.
This means Croatia will effectively be knocked out if England lose in Dnipropetrovsk because Ukraine's last game, next Wednesday, is against minnows Andorra, who have lost every match. Bilic will be preparing his side for their final game against Kazakhstan when England's match kicks off, but will take time out to cheer on the men in white.
He said: “I will watch it in my room. We are making plans so the whole team can watch it, but I think I will be alone — I need to watch it alone. It's the worst feeling when you need to watch something decisive and it's not in your hands. It will be difficult for me to watch.
“We are in a good position to reach the play-offs. I expect us to win in Kazakhstan and we believe England will not lose in Ukraine. If they continue with even half of the power that they showed against us at Wembley, they will get a good result there.
“If we reach the play-offs we will have a full-strength team with Luka Modric and Vedran Corluka fit again and with a bit of luck, coupled with our quality, we can reach the World Cup.”
Bilic is expected to quit as manager of Croatia after his World Cup campaign ends and has been linked with a return to Upton Park, where Gianfranco Zola is under pressure.
When asked about his future he said: “All options are open, but I don't think about it. All I'm thinking about is the play-offs for the World Cup.
“England is still my wish, that's a wish for most coaches. It doesn't necessarily have to be England, but if I get the opportunity I would rather choose countries where I know the language.”
