Croatia name strong squad for U-21 EURO finals

Croatia U-21 team announced for EURO finals (Photo: HNS)

ZAGREB, 24 May 2019 – Croatia U-21 coach Nenad Gračan has named his squad for the U-21 European Championships which will be held in Italy and San Marino next month.

The squad, one of the strongest Croatian U-21 sides ever, features four players who are in the current Croatia senior team and one who has 9 senior International appearances. 

Defender Duje Ćaleta-Car, who played in the World Cup for Croatia in Russia in 2018, new star Josip Brekalo, Nikola Vlašić and Celtic defender Filip Benković will all feature at the tournament.

Josip Brekalo (HNS)

Goalkeepers: Josip Posavec, Ivo Grbić, Adrian Šemper

Defenders: Duje Ćaleta-Car, Borna Sosa, Filip Benković, Petar Mamić, Filip Uremović, Nikola Katić, Domagoj Bradarić, Toni Borevković, Branimir Kalaica, Marijan Čabraja

Midfielders: Nikola Vlašić, Ivan Šunjić, Luka Ivanušec, Toma Bašić, Nikola Moro, Lovro Majer, Kristijan Bistrović

Strikers: Alen Halilović, Josip Brekalo, Marin Jakoliš, Robert Murić, Sandro Kulenović

Nikola Vlašić (HNS)

Croatia will face England, Romania and France in Group C.

Group A

Italy
Belgium
Poland
Spain

Group B

Germany
Austria
Serbia
Denmark

Group C

England
Croatia
Romania
France

“With unity and discipline, this generation can achieve a good result,” Gračan said. 

Croatia qualified for the Under-21 EURO finals for the first time in 15 years after winning their qualifying group. The Under-21 EURO finals will be held in Italy and San Marino from 16-30 June 2019 and will also act as UEFA’s qualifier for the 2020 men’s Olympic football tournament in Japan.