Croatia striker struck by virus

England's hopes of holding Croatia to the draw they need at Wembley on Wednesday night have been boosted by news that the visitors' star striker Mladen Petric is likely to miss the game with a virus.

The Borussia Dortmund centre forward did not train with Slaven Bilic's squad on Monday and has been placed on antibiotics in a bid to get him fit for a game that Croatia must not lose if they are to keep hold of top spot in Group E.

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Croatia will train at Wembley on Tuesday for the first time and former West Ham and Everton defender Bilic has told his players to make the most of the experience offered them over the next 48 hours.

Bilic said: 'This is Wembley, this is a lifetime opportunity. Pele once said his biggest regret was not playing at Wembley — well, we will get that chance.

'If we beat England, people would talk about it as the best game in 20 years. England are definitely favourites now but we have to be confident and try to give them a good game.'

An added incentive for Bilic's players is the offer from a Russian oligarch to hand out Mercedes cars to Croatia's best players if they win.

If England are defeated, allowing Russia to qualify in their place, oil billionaire Leonid Fedun will reward the goalkeeper and three best players.

'In this case, I operate as a private person and a Russian fan,' said Fedun, vice president of Lukoil and owner of Spartak Moscow, who is worth £2.6bn.