Croatia - Golden generation in their peak

Croatia

 Regular presence in the group stage of big competitions, Croatia has a very consistent team that paves their way to their goals but lacks some punch to beat the best teams.

 With that, they’re more experienced than ever and might be willing to change their recent history

How they qualified

Everything was going well for the Croatians until the home game against Italy. Racial abuse dictated the loss of a point and affected the morale of the team that drew in Azerbaijan and lost with Norway to drop to 3^rd place.

 They managed to avoid the playoff in the last match day and were able to keep their record of qualifying for a big competition

Squad

Goalkeepers: Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Lovre Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Ivan Vargic (Rijeka).

Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kiev), Sime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo), Gordon Schildenfeld (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Strinic (Napoli), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen).

Midfielders: Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic (both Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter MIlan), Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marko Rog (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Coric (Dinamo Zagreb).

Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Juventus), Nikola Kalinic (Fiorentina), Marko Pjaca (Dinamo Zagreb), Duje Cop (Dinamo Zagreb), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim).

Luka Modric

Club : Real Madrid (SPA)

Age : 30 years

 Great passing quality, both short and long, small but able to take a hit, Luka Modric dominates the midfield like a giant. He’s the thinker of Croatian football, well seconded by Perisic and his the leader of this generation, that he guides with his intelligence and awareness.

Ante Ćorić

Club : Din.Zagreb (Cro)

Age : 19 years

One of the best talents for the future in European football, Ante Coric is the perfect replacement for Luka Modric and the ideal pair for Kovacic in the future.

 Coric spent part of his youth career in the very modern academy of Red Bull Salzburg before going back to Croatia. There he started to impose at Din.Zagreb, where he’s already the key player despite his young age. His probably attract great interest if given a chance.

Ante Čačić

Appointed manager after the defeat at Norway that left the team out of direct qualification spots. Did his job and will have the prize of guiding his national side in a big competition.

What to expect from them?

They have a very tough matchup in the group, but Croatia has the quality to qualify. With the likes of Modric, Perisic and Mandzukic being the main sources of danger, they’ll have to rely on Kovacic’s capacity to impose himself in the midfield.

 Croatia will want to have the ball in their feet, as do all their opponents, and it’s a team that struggles against quick transitions, but if their experienced defenders can summon some extra strength, they will have a chance. 

FIL's Starting XI prediction