The Russian mission begins.
Finally Russia! Players selected by Croatian national team manager Zlatko Dalić landed earlier today at the Pulkovo Airport in Sankt Petersburg after a three-hour flight from Zagreb. They will stay at the Forest Rhapsody training camp, where they have already finished the first training session, which was opened to the press. On the way to the camp, they were greeted by numerous Croatian fans, armed with scarves and flags.
All photos by booking.com
The Forest Rhapsody is located about sixty kilometres from Sankt Petersburg, in a picturesque village of Ilyichevo in a pine forest on the shores of Lake Bolshoi Simaginskoye. The facilities there include a large pool with a glass roof and a spa centre with massage services, a gym, several restaurants and tennis courts. One night in a deluxe room costs about 1000 kuna (150 euro).
All photos by booking.com
The small Roshchino stadium, where the team will train, is about 20 minutes away by motorway.
Interestingly, the twilight in Ilyichevo begins sometime after 11 pm, while the new day dawns around 3 am. This is the beginning of the “white nights,” a natural phenomenon for which Sankt Petersburg is known around the world. It begins in late June and lasts until early July. Let’s hope that it will not cause sleepless nights for Croatian footballers.
Croatia will play its first match against Nigeria at 9 pm on June 16 in Kaliningrad.
LIST OF PLAYERS
GOALKEEPERS: Danijel Subašić (Monaco), Lovre Kalinić (Gent), Dominik Livaković (Dinamo)
DEFENDERS: Vedran Ćorluka (Lokomotiv), Domagoj Vida (Bešiktaš), Ivan Strinić (Sampdoria), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Šime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), Josip Pivarić (Dynamo Kijev), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen), Duje Ćaleta-Car (Red Bull Salzburg)
MIDFIELDERS: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona), Mateo Kovačić (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Filip Bradarić (Rijeka)
FORWARDS: Mario Mandžukić (Juventus), Ivan Perišić (Inter), Nikola Kalinić (Milan), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Marko Pjaca (Schalke), Ante Rebić (Eintracht)
