World Cup 2022 Team Preview - Croatia

Croatia's odds to win the World Cup

50/1

Best World Cup

Runner-up 2018

2018 World Cup

Runner-up

Croatia's World Cup Schedule

• Read a full Group F summary here

Road to Qatar

A 1-0 loss in Slovenia was hardly the ideal start to the qualifying campaign of the 2018 World Cup runner-up, but from that point onwards Croatia barely looked back. Seven victories saw the Croatians bang in 19 goals and concede just one, but it was ultimately a 1-0 win in their final game against Russia to clinch top spot by a solitary point, even though the Russians, for obvious reasons, have subsequently been excluded anyway.

Recent form

Croatia might just be coming into form at the right time as they bid to at least match their appearance in the 2018 final. Their Nations League campaign again began inauspiciously with a shock 3-0 home defeat to Austria, before needing a late penalty to earn a 1-1 home draw with France. But from that point onwards the only way was up, as they came away from both Denmark and France with 1-0 victories in June, before beating the Danes again 2-1 at home in September. Croatia then rounded things off by gaining revenge on Austria with a satisfying 3-1 victory in Vienna, to earn top spot in their League A table.

Croatia squad

Goalkeepers: Domink Livakovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivica Ivusic (NK Osijek), Ivo Grbic (Atletico Madrid)

Defenders: Domagoj Vida (AEK Athens), Dejan Lovren (Zenit St Petersburg), Borna Barisic (Rangers), Josip Juranovic (Celtic), Josko Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Borna Sosa (Stuttgart), Josip Stanisic (Bayern Munich), Martin Erlic (Sassuolo), Josip Sutalo (Dinamo Zagreb)

Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozovic (Inter Milan), Mario Pasalic (Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (Torino, on loan from West Ham Utd), Lovro Majer (Rennes), Kristijan Jakic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Luka Sucic (RB Salzburg)

Forwards: Ivan Perisic (Tottenham), Andrej Kramaric (1899 Hoffenheim), Bruno Petkovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Mislav Orsic (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marko Livaja (Hajduk Split)

Team insights

Probable formation: 4-4-2 The fact that the beaten finalists from the last World Cup are 50/1 to go one better in Qatar says much about the fact that the Croatian hopes still rest largely on talisman Luka Modric, whose 37-year-old legs are still as talented as ever but might perhaps struggle to remain influential for extended periods of a long tournament. Fellow midfielder Ivan Perisic (33), Marcelo Brozovic (28) and Mateo Kovacic (28) make up the rest of Croatia's experienced midfield engine room, and will hope to take the pressure off a relatively inexperienced back line. The experience of Andrej Kramaric and Nikola Vlasic are likely to bear the weight of experience up top, although one may be sacrificed for an extra midfield presence in games where Croatia are likely to be tested defensively. 

World Cup prospects

Croatia might be quietly fancied to replicate their heroics of 2018, but in truth Modric and Co will have their work cut out to make the quarter-finals this time around. They will hope to have done enough in their opening two games against Morocco and Canada to have qualified before they meet Belgium in their last group game, but beyond that, it won't be easy to make a case for them overcoming likely opponents Spain or Germany in the first knockout round. Best hope: Last 16 (although that's what we said in 2018)

Read more about each of Croatia's Group F opponents:

Belgium, Morocco, Canada