Football

Croatia announce squad for Euro 2020; Luka Modric named captain

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic on Monday named a 26-man squad for the upcoming Euro championships next month and named veteran Luka Modric as captain.

Modric was a part of Croatia’s 2018 World Cup squad which ended up as the runners-up. They went into the finals beating England in the semis and they will face the same team in their first fixture of Euro 2020 on June 13 as well.

Dalic described their match against England as their toughest test in their group as they have some quality players.

“Our latest results were not the best, but I’m an optimist. Our first goal is to get out of the group,” Dalic told reporters.

They will face Czech Republic next on June 18 and Scotland on June 22.

“We have difficult opponents, but I believe in us. We are at our best when the going gets tough,” Dalic said.

Other members of the current squad who played in the 2018 World Cup along with Modric are Domagoj Vida, Dejan Lovren and Sime Vrsaljko, midfielders Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic and Milan Badelj as well as attackers Ivan Perisic, Andrej Kramaric and Ante Rebic.

Expectations are quite high from them but Dalic has said that they will be still cautious and try to build everything from scratch.

“The bar is set too high, our ambitions are not realistic,” Dalic said in an interview with Sportske Novosti daily Monday.

“We are still among the 10 strongest (teams) in Europe, but there are many candidates for the throne who are ahead of us.”

Dalic’s squad also includes some young and talented players like Nikola Vlasic, forward Josip Brekalo, defender Josko Gvardiol and goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic.

Croatia squad

Goalkeepers: Lovre Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Dominik Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Simon Sluga (Luton Town/ENG)

Defenders: Domagoj Vida (Besiktas/TUR), Dejan Lovren (Zenit Saint Petersburg/RUS), Sime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Borna Barisic (Rangers/SCO), Duje Caleta-Car (Marseille/FRA), Josip Juranovic (Legia Warsaw/POL), Domagoj Bradaric (Lille/FRA), Mile Skoric (Osijek), Josko Gvardiol (Dinamo Zagreb)

Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid/ESP), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea/ENG), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan/ITA), Milan Badelj (Genoa/ITA), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta/ITA), Nikola Vlasic (CSKA Moscow/RUS), Luka Ivanusec (Dinamo Zagreb)

Forwards: Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan/ITA), Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim/GER), Ante Rebic (Milan/ITA), Josip Brekalo (Wolfsburg/GER), Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Mislav Orsic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna/ESP)

About the Author


Written by DafaNews

DafaNews brings you the most highlighted news in the world of Sports. It serves you up-to-date matches, scores, live streams, fantasy games and quizzes. Our news covers India's prestigious leagues and events – Premier League, Pro Kabbadi League, Cricket World Cup and many more. Follow DafaNews on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,Telegram and Youtube for more updates.

Related Post
Share
Published by
DafaNews

Recent Posts

Manoj Tiwary questions Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy during KKR vs CSK IPL 2025 match

Former Indian batter Manoj Tiwary slammed Ajinkya Rahane’s captaincy after Kolkata Knight Riders suffered a… Read More

May 8, 2025

Aakash Chopra questions KKR’s playing combination after loss against CSK

Former Indian opener Aakash Chopra questioned Kolkata Knight Riders’ playing combination after they suffered a… Read More

May 8, 2025

Virender Sehwag opens on Rohit Sharma’s Test retirement ahead of ENG vs IND 2025 series, says he could have played 100 Test matches

Former Indian opener Virender Sehwag believes Rohit Sharma could have played 100 Test matches for… Read More

May 8, 2025

Aakash Chopra suggests a change in DC’s starting XI for IPL 2025 clash vs PBKS

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has urged Delhi Capitals to keep Ashutosh Sharma in… Read More

May 8, 2025

Aakash Chopra urges Shreyas Iyer to bat at no.3 in IPL 2025 clash vs. Delhi Capitals

Former Indian Test opener Aakash Chopra has backed Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer to bat… Read More

May 8, 2025

IPL 2025: Ajinkya Rahane admits KKR was 15 runs short after loss against CSK

Kolkata Knight Riders captain Ajinkya Rahane admitted they were 10-15 runs short of a par… Read More

May 8, 2025