Euro 2020 Squad Guide and Analysis: Croatia

01/06/21 1860

Having reached the World Cup final back in 2018, Croatia will be expected to compete with the big guns at Euro 2020. But can Zlatko Dalic’s aging squad keep pace with the frontrunners?

• Manager: Zlatko Dalic

• Current FIFA World Ranking: 14th

• Best European Championship finish: Quarter-Finals (1996, 2008)

Croatia may have reached the 2018 World Cup final, but they have never made it past the last eight at a European Champions. Let’s take a closer look at the current squad and assess their chances.

• Croatia’s Euro 2020 Squad

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Lovre Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Simon Sluga (Luton).

Defenders: Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico de Madrid), Borna Barisic (Rangers), Duje Caleta-Car (Marseille), Dejan Lovren (Zenit), Josip Juranovic (Legia Warszawa), Domagoj Vida (Besiktas), Josko Gvardiol (Leipzig), Domagoj Bradaric (LOSC Lille), Mile Skoric (Osijek).

Midfielders: Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Milan Badelj (Genoa), Nikola Vlasic (CSKA Moskva), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Josip Brekalo (Wolfsburg), Mislav Orsic (Dinamo Zagreb), Luka Ivanusec (Dinamo Zagreb).

Forwards: Ante Rebic (AC Milan), Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim).

• Who Will Croatia Face in Group D?

Croatia’s opening match of Euro 2020 could not be much hard, as they kick off their campaign against one of the tournament favourites – England – on June 13.

After facing the Three Lions, Croatia come up against Czech Republic on June 18, before finishing their group-stage exploits with a match against Scotland on June 22.

• Croatia’s Star Player

Luka Modric: The Real Madrid midfielder may be 35, but he is still one of the classiest players in the game. Let’s not forget that he also won the Ballon d’Or in 2018.

Modric has a whopping 136 international caps under his belt and has score 17 goals for his country. The four-time Champions League winner arguably holds the key to Croatia’s chances of success.

• How Far Can Croatia Go?

Even with players like Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Perisic in their ranks, Croatia aren’t what they used to be. With an aging squad, it could be difficult for them to make to past the last 16.

Croatia are expected to make it out of Group D, along with England. But they are likely to struggle to go deep into the competition.

Prediction: Round of 16