Croatia confirm final 23-man EURO squad
Tuesday, May 31, 2016
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Goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, defender Duje Ćaleta-Car and midfielders Domagoj Antolić and Alen Halilović have been cut from Croatia's squad for UEFA EURO 2016.
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Croatia squad for UEFA EURO 2016
Goalkeepers: Danijel Subašić (Monaco), Lovre Kalinić (Hajduk Split), Ivan Vargić (Rijeka).
Defenders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Vedran Ćorluka (Lokomotiv Moskva), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kyiv), Ivan Strinić (Napoli), Gordon Schildenfeld (Dinamo Zagreb), Šime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen).
Midfielders: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona), Ivan Perišić (Internazionale Milano), Mateo Kovačić (Real Madrid), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Marcelo Brozović (Internazionale Milano), Marko Rog (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Ćorić (Dinamo Zagreb).
Forwards: Mario Mandžukić (Juventus), Nikola Kalinić (Fiorentina), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Marko Pjaca (Dinamo Zagreb), Duje Čop (Málaga).
Goalkeeper Dominik Livaković, defender Duje Ćaleta-Car and midfielders Domagoj Antolić and Alen Halilović have been cut from Croatia's squad for UEFA EURO 2016.
"It was not an easy decision as all these players deserved to be here," said coach Ante Čačić. "However, it's my job as coach to decide which players we need the most."
While the omission of Livaković and Ćaleta-Car was to be expected, Čačić's decision to leave out two midfielders looks to be a reflection of the high-quality options he already has there – the likes of Luka Modrić, Ivan Rakitić, Mateo Kovačić, Ivan Perišić and Marcelo Brozović.
Čačić has five forwards even though he is expected to start with just one striker, Mario Mandžukić.
Croatia's Group D fixtures
12/06: Turkey v Croatia (Paris)
17/06: Czech Republic v Croatia (Saint-Etienne)
21/06: Croatia v Spain (Bordeaux)