Winger Joe Cole says England will adopt a defensive approach against Croatia in Wednesday's crunch World Cup qualifier.
Cole scored twice in England's win away to Andorra on Saturday and believes a draw in Zagreb would be a good result.
"We're working on being strong and hard to break down and we have got the players to do that," said Cole.
"Without wanting to sound negative, a draw would put us in the driving seat but we'll go out there to try to win the game."
Cole, 27, paid tribute to Wednesday's opponents and insists England will aim to avoid the mistakes of their last visit to the Maksimir Stadium in October 2006, when they were beaten 2-0 in a Euro 2008 qualifier.
"The last time we went out there we underestimated them a little bit," he said. "Looking at their performances they are a top side with great players.
"You need to be solid, tough and compact when you play there - you need everyone's experience on the pitch because it's going to be a hostile environment."
He added: "Once you go a goal down, its so hard so we need to get off to a good start and get in their faces, shut them down.
"We have to play with a passion like England should do but not be naive and throw players forward."
England also lost 3-2 to Croatia at Wembley in November 2007, in a defeat that saw them fail to qualify for Euro 2008 and signalled the exit of Steve McClaren as the national team's manager.
Fabio Capello took over from McClaren and Cole has moved to play down criticism from the Italian during the win over Andorra - his first competitive match in charge.
The Chelsea midfielder came on for the second half and despite scoring twice, did not escape Capello's fury for dropping too deep into midfield instead of supporting striker Emile Heskey. I don't see myself as a substitute
"As for criticism from the manager that is what they are there for, that is what they do," said Cole.
"The mood is good in this squad. We are moving forward every day. Today we are working on new things and things that we might want to do on Wednesday.
"We are not taking our foot off the pedal. We need to keep working. I think the way the team is set up, we are getting stronger.
"There is more mental toughness in the team now."
Cole could again be on the bench for the crunch game in Croatia but he believes his experience at international level will be enough to earn him a place in the starting line-up.
"I don't see myself as a substitute," he said. "I am an old hand at international football.
"I have more than 50 caps. I have made an impact off the bench and when I've started. I'm ready to play but the main thing is England get the right result."
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