England vs Croatia: Free live streaming links of football match on Twitter and Facebook pose risk to fans who watch online

Football fans who search for Uefa Nations League games through stream sites shared on social media are at risk to hackers

England face Croatia on Friday evening hoping to avenge their defeat to the Balkan nation at this summer's World Cup.

The game will be played behind closed doors in Rijeka, after the hosts were punished for having a swastika on a football pitch during a 2016 match, meaning the only way to watch it is through television broadcasts.

In the UK, that means tuning in to Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm or Sky Sports Football from 7.30pm. Highlights will also be available on ITV1 at 10.45.

But alongside the legitimate ways of watching the game, numerous illegal live streams are expected to appear on social media platforms like Facebook, Periscope and Twitter.

While they may offer fans a way to watch the match online for free, security experts have previously warned that they pose a serious threat to fans.

"Illegal streaming websites also tend to prompt adware in the form of pop-up windows that can look like software updates or even anti-virus messages that encourage users to click on them in order to install add-ons or run a virus scan," Joep Gommers, CEO of the security firm EclecticIQ, told The Independet ahead of last weekend's pay-per-view UFC fight between Conor McGregor and Khabib Nurmagomedov, which faced a similar issue.

"In reality, however, they do the opposite and download malware to the computer instead."

A swastika was visible on the pitch at the Poljud stadium when Croatia played Italy in 2016 (Getty)

Anti-piracy initiatives have attempted to crackdown on illegal streams spreading across social media, though copyright infringers usually find a way to get the content to an audience.

FACT, the UK's leading trade organisation established to protect Intellectual Property holders, warned people that it is not just the people hosting the live streams that are breaking the law.

"Whether it’s a re-stream on social media, a piracy site, or using a device, box or stick connected to your TV, avoiding the official provider to access the fight is illegal," said Kieron Sharp, CEO of FACT.