Hoffenheim striker Andrej Kramarić will not join the Croatian national team for the upcoming gathering due to a knee injury. Kramarić personally informed manager Slaven Bilić that he would not be available, meaning he will miss the Nations League matches against England and the Czech Republic.
Kramarić was also not ready for the previous international break, which he spent recovering from injury, and did not feature in any minutes during that period. The Croatian team plays away against England in the upcoming cycle, with the match taking place on Thursday at 20:45. This is followed by a home fixture against the Czech Republic next Sunday at the same time, which concludes the group stage of the Nations League.
Manager Slaven Bilić will announce the squad for England and the Czech Republic on Saturday at a press conference at 13:00. Ivan Matanović, Dion Drena Belja, Ante Budimir and Petar Musa are mentioned as candidates for the forward positions.
Kramarić has made 119 appearances and scored 36 goals for Croatia in his career to date, making him the third-highest scorer in the team's history. Ahead of him are Davor Šuker with 45 goals and Ivan Perišić with 40 goals. He made his debut for Croatia in 2014 and has a silver medal from Russia and a bronze from Qatar in his collection. Kramarić is 35 years old.
In this season's appearances for Hoffenheim, he has scored two goals in 13 matches across all competitions, with four assists. Croatia has only beaten the Czech Republic in the first round away this Nations League season, while losing twice to Spain. England beat Croatia 7-0 at Rujevica.
