Modrić decides on future as new Croatia squad is named

by croatiaweek
August 19, 2024
in Sport

Luka Modrić

Croatia’s national team manager, Zlatko Dalić, has called up 24 players for the upcoming Nations League matches in September.

Dalić named the squad on Monday and there was good news for Croatian fans with the inclusion of captain Luka Modrić.

Despite predictions that Euro 2024 would be his farewell, Modrić, who turns 39 next month, will lead Croatia again as they build up for the 2026 World Cup.

In the previous edition of the Nations League, Croatia found themselves in a group with France, Denmark, and Austria, where they secured a place in the finals and went on to win a silver medal.

In this new cycle, Croatia has been drawn into a group with Portugal, Poland, and Scotland. The top two teams will advance to the quarter-finals, set to take place in March 2025, while the third-placed team will enter a playoff to stay in League A.

The team finishing last in the group will be relegated to League B.

The Croatian team will kick off the competition with an away match in Lisbon on 5th September, followed by a home game against Poland at the Opus Arena in Osijek three days later.

Alongside the 24-player squad, Dalić has also issued seven provisional call-ups.

The team will gather in Zagreb on Monday, 2nd September, before departing for Lisbon on 4th September.

“The Nations League will be an excellent platform for us to build a team that will begin the qualifiers for the 2026 World Cup next year. Compared to this year’s Euros, we’ve lost two key veterans, Vida and Brozović, but we are all delighted that our captain, Luka Modrić, is still with us—he remains a tremendous asset both on and off the pitch,” said Dalić.

Zlatko Dalić

“We still have a strong core within the team that won the bronze medal at the World Cup in Qatar two years ago, and we’ve also refreshed the squad with a few new names we’d like to see in the national team environment. The new season has just started, and all candidates have the chance to earn their place in the team through hard work and quality performances at their clubs.

We face very strong opponents in the Nations League, starting with Portugal in Lisbon. While we cannot and must not disregard results—Croatia must always aim for victories and success—our primary goal in the Nations League is to organise a team that will begin the World Cup qualifiers.

This means finding new faces, testing new tactical and personnel solutions, while maintaining what has been crucial to our success: strong unity, team spirit, and a winning mentality,” emphasised Dalić.

New faces in the squad include Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Petar Sučić, and striker Igor Matanović from Eintracht Frankfurt. Duje Ćaleta-Car returns, whilst there is also a spot for Ivan Perišić, who remains club-less after leaving Hajduk Split last week.

Squad List for the Matches Against Portugal and Poland:

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković, Dominik Kotarski, Nediljko Labrović

Defenders: Joško Gvardiol, Duje Ćaleta-Car, Borna Sosa, Josip Stanišić, Josip Šutalo, Marin Pongračić, Martin Erlić

Midfielders: Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić, Mario Pašalić, Lovro Majer, Luka Ivanušec, Luka Sučić, Kristijan Jakić, Martin Baturina, Petar Sučić

Forwards: Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, Bruno Petković, Ante Budimir, Igor Matanović

Provisional Call-ups: Borna Barišić, Marko Pjaca, Ivica Ivušić, Marco Pašalić, Nikola Moro, Toni Fruk, Robert Ljubičić