The Chelsea defender has skippered the side since August 2006, and after missing out on playing in the defeat to Croatia in 2007 he rates tonight's match as his most important since being trusted with the armband by Steve McClaren.
Terry said: 'It is my biggest game as England captain.
'It would be ideal to finish the group early. If we can get the job done it would be nice for the manager to try a few new things if he feels he wants to.
'Winning the game would also help wipe away the memory of 2007.
'We know we should have done better that night, but since then it's been a fresh start for all of us. Our results and performances have been good and we have come a long way.'
Terry was full of praise for team-mate Wayne Rooney, saying he believes the Manchester United striker is one of the best players in world football.
Terry said: 'Wayne is in great form at the minute. He is scoring an awful lot of goals, as well as giving teams a lot of problems.
'He is becoming more important as each day comes. For someone who is so young, he plays with so much experience and such quality - he is one of the best in the world.'
Terry thinks that there will be more pressure on Croatia than the home side, with the visitors needing to avoid defeat to stop England qualifying automatically for the World Cup.
'We need to be patient and start the game well,' the Chelsea defender added.
'It is a must-win game for Croatia so we know that they will be coming at us, but that could allow us to catch them on the counter attack.'
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