THE usual suspects remain the key men for Croatia...
as they have been over a decade. A clutch of players have either more or close to 100 caps for the Balkan side. Those include defender Domagoj Vida, midfielders Marcelo Brozovic and Mateo Kovacic , former Leicester striker Andrej Kramaric and, of course, captain Luka Modric .
Another, Ivan Perisic, is doing his best to be fit after suffering a complex anterior cruciate ligament injury at his former club Tottenham in September. Impressive boss Zlatko Dalic has been along for most of the ride too, having taken them to a World Cup final and third-placed finish since taking over in 2017. A lack of young blood - barring Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol - could cost them though.
Considered a national treasure for his brilliant tournament performances, he spent much of his club career in Croatia , Albania and the Middle East. Dalic finished second to England in the Euro 2020 group stage but lost to Spain in the last 16. Performances on the biggest stage have kept Dalic in the job but a tricky group means he has his work cut out this time.
The 2018 Ballon D’Or winner may no longer be an automatic starter for Real Madrid , but he is for his country and is on 174 caps. Just don’t tell the 38-year-old it’s coming home. Croatia have an extremely settled line-up with plenty of tournament experience.
The midfield three bring bags of quality and creative spark. A solid - if unspectacular back four - is not blessed with pace, .