Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić has called up 24 players and put five on standby for the UEFA Nations League quarter-final matches against France.
After successfully navigating the group stage, the Vatreni are set to face France in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals this March. The first clash between the reigning World Cup bronze medalists and the World Cup silver medalists will take place in Split on March 20 at 8:45 PM, with the return leg scheduled three days later at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, reports HNS.
Among the familiar names, Toni Fruk and Franjo Ivanović have earned their first call-up to Zlatko Dalić’s squad.
“With only minor adjustments, we’ve remained loyal to the squad that secured this stage of the competition. I’m pleased to see that many players are in good rhythm and excellent form. I’m especially happy to welcome back Juranović and Stanišić, who missed the entire autumn due to injuries. Ivanović and Fruk have been performing consistently well, earning their spot in the senior team, and we believe they can further strengthen our already fierce competition,” said Dalić.
“Reaching the quarterfinals is a great achievement. Once again, Croatia stands among Europe’s best. Only the elite teams remain in this stage of the competition. Facing us is France, a team we know inside out — World Cup champions in 2018, runners-up in 2022, and one of the strongest squads in the world. I have immense respect for them and for coach Deschamps. However, we’ve already proven in the last Nations League that we can compete with them. I believe in our quality and unity, and we will give our all in front of a packed Poljud to secure a positive result before heading to Paris. There won’t be much time for preparation, but we’re excited to regroup after a long break and enjoy these fantastic matches that we’ve fought hard to reach,” concluded Dalić.
The Croatia national team will gather in Split on Monday, March 17, before traveling to Paris the day before the return leg. The Nations League Finals will take place in June, with the winner of the Croatia vs. France matchup facing the winner of Spain vs. the Netherlands.
Croatia enters the tournament as the defending silver medalist, having secured a spot in the previous Nations League Finals by overcoming France, Denmark, and Austria in the group stage. In that edition, Croatia defeated the Netherlands in the semifinals before facing Spain in the final, where they narrowly missed the title after a penalty shootout.
Goalkeeepers: Dominik Livaković, Ivica Ivušić, Dominik Kotarski
Defenders: Joško Gvardiol, Josip Juranović, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Borna Sosa, Josip Šutalo, Josip Stanišić, Marin Pongračić
Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Luka Sučić, Martin Baturina, Kristijan Jakić, Petar Sučić, Nikola Moro, Toni Fruk
Forwards: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Ante Budimir, Franjo Ivanović
Standby: Marko Pjaca, Mislav Oršić, Martin Erlić, Marco Pašalić, Nediljko Labrović
