The Croatian national team face England at Wembley on Thursday at 20:45 in the fifth round of the Nations League. Manager Slaven Bilić is facing numerous squad issues, as he will be unable to count on several important players due to injuries, illness and suspensions.
Croatia travel to London after three consecutive defeats, the most recent being a 0:7 loss to England at Rujevica. Bilić announced the final squad of 25 players on Saturday, but has since had to seek additional solutions.
Josip Šutalo injured his hamstring in Napoli’s match against Lazio and is out for both games. Dinamo defender Niko Galešić has been called up as a replacement, marking his first call-up to the senior national team. Kristijan Jakić injured his knee ligament in PAOK’s match against Olympiacos; he arrived for the squad gathering but must undergo further medical tests. Bilić admitted the situation does not look good, although he hopes the injury is not of a serious nature.
Luka Sučić has developed a fever, and Bilić stated that there is a 99 per cent chance he will not be ready for the match against England. Lovro Majer, who was on the extended list but not among the initial 25 players, has been added to the squad. The manager will also be without Ivan Perišić, who is suspended due to a red card in the previous match against Spain; Perišić will be available again for Sunday’s encounter against the Czech Republic.
Joško Gvardiol and Josip Stanišić had health issues over the weekend, but Bilić confirmed they are well and will be available for the trip to Wembley. Andrej Kramarić will not participate in this gathering due to a knee cap problem, Marin Pongračić is out with a right hamstring injury, and Franjo Ivanović will not feature due to a mild concussion. Kramarić, Pongračić and Ivanović were not included in the final list announced on Saturday.
In goal, Dominik Livaković, Dominik Kotarski and Ivor Pandur are available. Livaković is the most experienced of the keepers, but he has lacked match continuity at Barcelona this season; Kotarski plays for Dinamo, while Pandur is a member of Scottish side Rangers. Bilić previously admitted that Livaković’s situation regarding minutes played is not ideal.
In defence, Gvardiol, Luka Vušković, Duje Ćaleta-Car and the late call-up Galešić are available at centre-back, while Stanišić, Ivan Smolčić and Šimun Hrgović, who is also making his senior debut, compete for the full-back positions. Gvardiol can also play as a left-back.
In midfield, captain Luka Modrić leads the competition, joined by Mateo Kovačić, Petar Sučić, Josip Mišić, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Martin Baturina and the late call-up Majer. Jakić’s availability remains in doubt due to his knee injury, while Luka Sučić is almost certain to miss the game against England due to illness.
Among the natural wingers, Bilić has Marco Pašalić and Marin Šotiček, who has been called up to the senior team for the first time. Vlašić, Mario Pašalić, Baturina or Majer can also play in wide positions. Ante Budimir, Igor Matanović and Dion Drena Beljo compete for the central striker spot, all three being on the final list; Beljo has already scored for Croatia in this edition of the Nations League.
Croatia are currently third in the group with three points. Spain have 12 points, England nine, and the Czech Republic are bottom without a point. Croatia will conclude their group campaign against the Czech Republic on Sunday at 20:45 at the Opus Arena, with both matches being crucial for the fight to remain in the top tier of the Nations League.
