Croatia have slowly become a European football powerhouse in the last decade. While they have fallen short of a title, they are now a constant force in the elite tournaments. The European nation will look to move past them when they take the field in the Euro 2024 in Germany. Veteran Luka Modric will lead Croatia, perhaps for the one final time, in Euro.
He is backed by a solid crop of players with the right mix of youth and experience. The team fared well in the qualifiers, securing their place in the finale quite easily. Croatia finished 2nd in Group D of the Euro qualifiers, just behind Turkey. Luka Modric is eager to win a trophy at the international level after reaching the fag end of his career.
Squad Announcement
Croatia have released a 26-man preliminary squad list and are yet to release their final squad.
Croatia UEFA Euro 2024 Squad
| Position | Name | Age | Club |
| Goalkeeper | Dominik Livakovic | 29 | Fenerbahce |
| Ivica Ivusic | 29 | Pafos | |
| Nediljko Labrovic | 24 | Rijeka | |
| Defenders | Domagoj Vida | 35 | AEK Athens |
| Josip Juranovic | 28 | Union Berlin | |
| Josko Gvardiol | 22 | Manchester City | |
| Borna Sosa | 26 | Ajax | |
| Josip Stanisic | 24 | Bayer Leverkusen | |
| Josip Sutalo | 24 | Ajax | |
| Martin Erlic | 26 | Sassuolo | |
| Marin Pongracic | 26 | Lecce | |
| Midfielders | Luka Modric | 38 | Real Madrid |
| Mateo Kovacic | 30 | Manchester City | |
| Marcelo Brozovic | 31 | Al Nassr | |
| Mario Pasalic | 29 | Atalanta | |
| Nikola Vlasic | 26 | Torino | |
| Lovro Majer | 26 | Wolsfburg | |
| Luka Ivanusec | 25 | Feyenoord | |
| Luka Sucic | 21 | RB Salzburg | |
| Martin Baturina | 21 | Dinamo Zagreb | |
| Forwards | Ivan Perisic | 35 | Hajduk Split |
| Andrej Kramaric | 32 | Hoffenheim | |
| Bruno Petkovic | 29 | Dinamo Zagreb | |
| Marko Pjaca | 29 | Rijeka | |
| Ante Budimir | 32 | Osasuna | |
| Marco Pasalic | 23 | Rijeka |
Key Players and Profiles
Star Players
Here are some of the Key players of Croatia UEFA Euro 2024 Squad.
Luka Modric
The biggest name in the Croatia squad. Modric has been instrumental behind Croatia’s rise as a superpower in European football in the last decade. He is a leader, legend on and off the field. His heroics with Los Blancos is known by one and all.
The 2018 Ballon d’Or winner has 174 appearances for the senior side. The central midfielder has scored 24 times and has led his team to the World Cup final in 2018, World Cup semi-final in 2022 and Nations League final in 2023. However, Croatia have failed to overcome the last hurdle every single time. For sure, he would like to go off in style, with international silverware in his hands.
Ivan Perisic
Ivan Perisic is another important cog in Croatia’s wheel. The winger has vast experience from playing in various leagues around the world and has been a consistent part of Croatia’s side in previous international tournaments. The Crot has played 129 matches for the national team and has scored 33 goals for the senior side.
Although the match-to-goal ratio doesn’t look great, he has a habit of turning up on big occasions. Out of the 33 goals scored for the senior side, his goal contribution (goals + assists) stands at 18 in major tournaments, the highest among the bunch.
Josko Gvardiol
Gvardiol broke into the footballing scene in the 2022 FIFA World Cup, impressing football lovers and critics alike with his stout defending, calmness with the ball, and ability to play quick passes in tight spaces. He was soon swept up by Manchester City.
In spite of not getting much game time at the start of the season, the centre-back excelled for the defending champions towards the back end. Guardiola played Gvardiol as a left back and he shone in the role, scoring some important goals for his team to ensure they retained the Premier League title. He will be an important member of the Croatian team in their bid to lift their maiden UEFA Euro title.
Young Talents:
While Luka Modric will steal the limelight, there will also be a few youngsters from Croatia everyone should watch out for.
Josip Stanisic
Josip Stanisic will be the one to watch out for in the UEFA Euro 2024. Stanisic has been an important part of Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen side.
The centre-back has been a major contributor to Leverkusen’s impeccable defence throughout the season and has been touted as the next big thing in world football. According to rumours, he is also being eyed by major clubs around the world.
Luka Sucic
Luka Sucic will be another player to watch out for in the Euro 2024. Sucic, just 21 years of age, plies his trade in the Bundesliga for RB Salzburg. A central midfielder, Sucic has established himself as a starter in his club team with a spell of convincing performances.
A composed presence in the heart of midfield, he has already scored three goals and provided 8 assists in 22 games. While the likes of Kovacic and Modric may keep him out of the starting XI, expect him to make an instant impact when he comes in as a substitute.
Marco Pasalic
Marco Pasalic has been waiting for his moment to shine and Euro 2024 may provide the perfect opportunity for him to burst onto the national scene.
The 23-year-old striker plays for Rijeka in the Croatian league and has scored 6 goals and 4 assists for his club. While he has yet to score for his country, it is a matter of time before he gets onto the score sheet.
Team Strategy and Tactics
Zlatko Dalić, Manager: Dalić can be classified as the main reason behind Croatia’s rise in World football. Dalic will be leading charge as Croatia’s Euro 2024 coach. Since taking over the Croatia manager’s job in 2017, Dalić has commanded respect from his batch of players and football lovers. His simple tactics and fluid style of play have attracted attention. Dalić took over Croatia at a time when they were uncertain to play the 2018 FIFA World Cup. But he did a miraculous job of leading them to the final. He followed it up with a semi-final qualification in the 2022 FIFA World Cup and a Nations League final appearance.
Formation and Playing Style
Croatia Euro squad tactics
For the Euros, Dalić will most probably be sticking to his preferred 4-3-3 formation. Modric will control play from the heart of the midfield. Petrovic and Perisic will take turns to occupy the no 9 position. Gvardiol is likely to continue at left-back while Stanisic will occupy the right side of the defence. Dalić’s team, like always, will look to play possession-based football with quick passes to break defensive lines and open up spaces.
Croatia Probable XI for Euro 2024
Croatia past Euro performances
Croatia were part of Yugoslavia till 1992 and only played as an independent nation for the first time in UEFA Euro 1996. Except the Euro 2000, Croatia have since qualified for every Euro. The team made it to the quarterfinals twice. But they lost to Germany and Turkey in 1996 and 2008, respectively.
Recent Matches
Croatia have had a decent performance leading up to Euro 2024. The Croatians were placed in Group D of the Euro 2024 qualifiers along with Turkiye, Wales, Armenia and Latvia. Although Luka Modric and his side were expected to top the group, surprise losses to Wales and Turkiye saw Dalić’s side finish as the second-placed team in the group, a point behind leaders Turkiye. However, they maintained a safe distance from third-placed Wales and secured their place in the UEFA Euro 2024.
Match Schedule and Fixtures
Croatia Euro 2024 Fixtures:
Croatia have been placed in Group B of the UEFA Euro 2024 along with Spain, Albania and Italy.
Potential Knockout Stage matches
- If Croatia top their group, they will face one of the third-placed teams from Groups A, D, E or F.
- If Croatia finish second in the Group, they will have to face the second-placed side of Group A. It can be either Germany, Scotland, Hungary or Switzerland.
- If they finish in third place and still qualify for the knockout stages, they will have to face either the winners of Group E or Group F.
Historical Squads
In the UEFA Euro 1996, Croatia took a big contingent of 34 men. Since different eras invoked different tactics among the football-playing nations, the Croatian team of 1996 was stacked with centre-backs, central-midfielders and centre-forwards. Interestingly, since overlapping was not such a common consent in 1996, the Croatian team had only one left-back and one right-back in the squad.
In the last Euro that Croatia played, Dalić named a pretty similar squad to this time around. One of the notable changes from the squad in 2020 to the preliminary squad of 2024 is the dependance on players who have done well in the European club club competitions. Players such as Mario Pasalic of Atlanta and Josep Stanisic of Bayer Leverkusen are expected to play major roles this time around.
