Luka Modrić to continue and is included in Croatia squad for Euro 2024 qualifiers

Luka Modrić and Zlatko Dalić

ZAGREB, 21 August 2023 – Zlatko Dalić has named his Croatia squad ahead of next month’s Euro 2024 qualifiers. 

Croatia will first face Latvia in Rijeka on 8 September before traveling to Armenia to face them on 11 September.

Whilst there was some speculation Luka Modrić might retire after the UEFA Nations League final in June, the captain, who will turn 38 one day after the Latvia match, has been included in the squad. 

Hajduk Split striker Marko Livaja, who missed the Nations League Finals after a training ground incident, was not named in the squad, but there was a call-up for Westerlo striker Matija Frigan.

Croatia squad for Latvia and Armenia: 

Goalies: Dominik Livaković, Ivica Ivušić, Nediljko Labrović

Defenders: Domagoj Vida, Borna Barišić, Josip Juranović, Joško Gvardiol, Borna Sosa, Josip Stanišić, Josip Šutalo, Martin Erlić

Midfield: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Marcelo Brozović, Mario Pašalić, Nikola Vlašić, Lovro Majer, Luka Ivanušec

Strikers: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Bruno Petković, Petar Musa, Matija Frigan

On-call: Dominik Kotarski, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Jakov Medić, Nikola Moro, Martin Baturina

“We’ve had an excellent performance at the Nations League finals, and we’ve remained faithful to the team that clinched the silver medal there. Of course, we’re all thrilled that our captain is still with us; having Luka on the field and off it makes us much stronger. I’m pleased that almost all the players have their club situations sorted out, so they can join the gathering with peace of mind. In the past, this has sometimes been a problem in September. Congratulations to Mateo, Joško, Lovro, and Josip on their big transfers, and I’m confident they’ll continue to progress at Manchester City, Ajax, and Wolfsburg. It’s great to see that we once again have a growing number of players at big clubs, and I believe this is, to a large extent, the result of the national team’s fantastic achievements in the past period,” said coach Zlatko Dalić.

“Alongside Gvardiol, who missed the Final Four due to injury, we’ve added Frigan to the squad from the Netherlands to further enhance our attacking options with a fast, modern forward who had an excellent spring. We have two extremely important matches ahead of us, where two victories can take us a big step closer to the Euros. Of course, we accept the role of favorites, but we’re well aware that in qualifications, it doesn’t mean much unless you enter the match with maximum concentration and focus. We expect the same approach from the players as we had in June, right from the first training session. We want to see Croatia like that again – energetic, determined, and high-quality, so we can justify our role as favorites against Latvia and Armenia,” the coach added.

Croatia currently has four points from two matches and sits currently in third place in the group with two games in hand over leaders Turkey. 

Current group standings

The top two teams in the group automatically qualify for Euro 2024.