Croatia 2022 World Cup Squad
Runners-up in the last World Cup, Croatia will look to return to the grand stage in style.. The 2018 World Cup finalists will be looking to replicate their performance during Qatar 2022. In this article, we will discuss the Croatia World Cup squad, their group fixtures, and latest odds.
Croatia national football team: Latest results & news
After a historical result in the last World Cup, the Croatians will try to go a step further in Qatar 2022. It will be their third consecutive World Cup appearance but some of the stars they had in 2018 are missing.
Nevertheless, Croatia will hope that the brilliance of Luka Modric can lead them to another fantastic result in this tournament. The draw put them against Belgium, Morocco, and Canada as part of Group F. If we look at the Croatia World Cup squad, they should be able to defeat Morocco and Canada. However, Belgium is currently second on the FIFA rankings and Croatia might have to accept that second place in Group F is the only possible outcome.
The Croatian team started their World Cup qualifiers by losing to Slovenia. Minutes after the fixture finished, football experts were saying that Croatia is done and that they can never perform as well as they did in 2018. Football fans around the world were happy to see Croatia prove them wrong during the rest of the qualifying fixtures. They went on to win seven fixtures and draw twice to top their group and directly qualify for Qatar 2022.
Come November, we expect to see the best of Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric, and the rest of the squad. Sadly, Ivan Rakitic won’t feature but we are sure coach Zlatko Dalic already found the perfect replacement.
Croatia World Cup Squad for Qatar 2022
Zlatko Dalic had until November 14 to select his final 26-man squad for Qatar 2022. We present you the final list of players that will represent Croatia at the World Cup in Qatar:
Goalkeepers
The Croatians will take three goalkeepers with them to Qatar,
Dominik LivakovicIvica IvusicIvo GrbicDefenders
Nine defenders will be on the plane for Croatia:
Domagoj VidaDejan LovrenBorna BarisicJosip JuranovicJosko GvardiolBorna SosaJosip StanisicMartin ErlicJosip SutaloMidfielders
Luka Modric will play in his final World Cup for Croatia but who else is going to Qatar?
Luka ModricMateo KovacicMarcelo BrozovicMario PasalicNikola VlasicLovro MajerKristijan JakicLuka SucicAttackers
Will Kramaric provide the goals for Croatia at the 2022 World Cup?
Ivan PerisicAndrej KramaricBruno PetkovicMislav OrsicAnte BudimirMarko LivajaThe strongest XI
During qualification, Zlatko Dalic used a popular 4-3-3 formation. However, he has also fielded players in a 4-4-2 formation when playing against tougher opposition. These are the eleven players we expect to see in Croatia’s first fixture:
Dominik Livakovic is in goal with Dejan Lovren, Josko Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, and Josip Juranovic defending him.A midfield of Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, and Marcelo Brozovic. Mario Pasalic will be the fourth midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation.In attack, we have Ivan Perisic and Andrej Kramaric. When they play with a 4-3-3 formation, Pasailc will feature as an inverted winger in the attacking trio.
How Croatia Fared in Qatar
Croatia recovered from their disappointing goalless draw against Morocco in the first round with a 4-1 win over Canada in the second round and set the stage for a very exciting duel against Belgium. In this match, the Belgians needed the win, while Croatia only needed to draw. And despite Belgium’s attacks and a few great chances, Croatia managed to hold to a scoreless draw that saw them through to the next stage.
Group F: Final Standings
|
1. Morocco |
3 |
7 |
4 |
1 |
|
2. Croatia |
3 |
5 |
4 |
1 |
|
3. Belgium |
3 |
4 |
1 |
2 |
|
4. Canada |
3 |
0 |
2 |
7 |
Croatia’s Last 16 Fixture
Croatia were by no means at their very best against Japan but the most important thing was the result. The Eastern Europeans trailed 1-0 at the break and were second best for the majority of the opening 45-minutes. However, a tweak at the break saw Croatia perform better in the second half and after just 10-minutes had been played, Perisic equalised with a lovely header. The two teams cancelled one another out for the rest of the 90-minutes and extra-time which meant that the quarter-final spot would be decided via a penalty shoot-out. Japan missed three of their opening four spot-kicks while Croatia converted three of theirs to set up a date with Brazil in the last 8.
Croatia’s Quarter-Final Fixture
Croatia knew they were going to have to frustrate Brazil if they were going to get through the toughest of Quater-Final draws. The Europeans took the game to Neymar and co who struggled to get into the game. The match ended up goalless after 90-minutes but it looked like Brazil had done enough to win the game when Neymar fired the ball home in the 105th-minute. However, Croatia never gave up and in the 117th-minute, Petkovic scored his first international goal in over 2-years, with the aid of a deflection, to take the game into a penalty shoot-out. Croatia scored each of their opening four penalties and Brazil saw Rodrygo and Marquinhos miss which meant that the Europeans had succeeded in their mission to upset the odds, leaving the South Americans feeling stupid for not putting Neymar higher up the order of takers.
Croatia’s Semi-Final Fixture
It was a case of one step too far for Croatia as they bowed out of the World Cup at the Semi-Final stage at the hands of Argentina. Croatia actually started the game much better than their opponents but lacked that quality in the centre-forward position.
Poor defending ended up costing Croatia in the first-half and it was something they never recovered from. Messi converted a penalty in the 34th-minute and Alvarez made it 2-0 just 5-minutes later when he somehow waltzed through the Croatia backline.
Modric and co had it all to do in the second forty0five but once again it was Argentina that took their chances as Messi setup Alvarez for his second and Argentina’s third goal of the game, whapping up their place in the Final with 21-minutes still left to play.
FAQ
When will we know the final Croatia World Cup squad?
Coach Zlatko Dalic announced the final squad ahead of the World Cup. The final selection will includes 26 players, three more than in previous editions of the tournament.
What kind of World Cup record does Croatia have?
The highest finishes for Croatia are second back in 2018 and third at the 1998 World Cup in France.
Who are the stars of the Croatian national team?
Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic, and Ivan Perisic are the biggest stars on the team.
Are there any notable awards in the squad?
In 2018, Luka Modric won the Golden Ball trophy for excellent performances which helped Croatia get to the final.
Full Prediction: https://footballwhispers.com/blog/croatia-world-cup-2022-squad-the-possible-lineup/
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