HNS reports that Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić has announced the list of players for the start of the FIFA World Cup European qualifiers. Recall, the final tournament will be held in Qatar at the end of 2022.
The 2018 World Cup finalists will try to win a spot in Qatar through Group H of the European Qualifiers against Slovakia, Russia, Slovenia, Cyprus, and Malta. Only the winners of the ten qualifying groups will qualify directly for Qatar, while the second-placed national teams – with two more national teams from the Nations League – will play in the playoffs.
The Croatia national team opens the qualification away in Ljubljana against Slovenia on March 24, followed by a double program in Rijeka – on March 27 against Cyprus and three days later against Malta.
Dalić invited 24 players and sent preliminary invitations to Ivo Grbić, Milo Škorić, Marin Pongračić, Tomo Bašić, and Kristijan Lovrić.
“There are no surprises on the list; this is a team we built through the qualifications for EURO and last year’s Nations League. Although a demanding group awaits us, I have a lot of faith in this team, and we are very optimistic about the new cycle because I am deeply convinced we have the quality to win – and that is, of course, our main goal in these qualifications,” said Dalić.
Dalić wished good luck to the U-21 national team at the European Championship:
“In agreement with the U-21 coach, Igor Bišćan, Domagoj Bradarić will be a member of the young national team in this term, as he cannot count on the suspended Sosa in that position. Domagoj can certainly make a significant contribution during the European Championship, which, as a competition, is a precious experience for a young player. I wish Igor and his team a lot of sports luck in Slovenia!”
“I am glad that at the moment we do not have serious problems with injuries, and I hope that it will remain so until the reunion. We want a good start because of the qualifications, but also as an introduction to the EURO, and for that, we will have to approach this with maximum concentration and togetherness. The schedule is tight; we will not have time for serious training, so the focus will be on good mental and tactical preparation to be at the best possible level given these circumstances. I am an optimist and look forward to the gathering, as well as our team,” concluded the coach.
Croatia will gather on March 22 in Zagreb, from where they will leave for Ljubljana a day later. Immediately after the match against Slovenia, they will travel to Opatija, where they will stay until the end of the gathering.
Goalkeepers Lovre Kalinić, Dominik Livaković, Simon Sluga
Defenders: Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren, Šime Vrsaljko, Borna Barišić, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Dario Melnjak, Filip Uremović, Josip Juranović
Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Marcelo Brozović, Milan Badelj, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić
Attackers: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Ante Rebić, Josip Brekalo, Bruno Petković, Mislav Oršić, Ante Budimir
Callups: Mile Škorić, Toma Bašić, Marin Pongračić, Ivo Grbić, Kristijan Lovrić
What do you think of the Croatia squad for the upcoming 2022 World Cup qualifiers?
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