Croatia prepares for the World Cup with a squad rich in experience and new talent

CROATIA - Croatia will compete in Group L with England (June 17, Arlington), Panama (June 24, Toronto) and Ghana (June 27, Philadelphia). This may be the last time we see Luka Modric play at a World Cup, alongside veteran teammates like Ivan Perisic (37 years old) and possibly Andrej Kramaric (34 years old), the team's top scorer in the qualifying round with 6 goals. All are important pillars in the current squad, with the average age of the team approaching 28. After achieving second and third places in previous tournaments, Croatia have proven themselves to be a formidable team at crucial times. The team also includes new talents and is more mature than two years ago, when they were unsuccessful at Euro 2020 and were eliminated early. Are these players capable of bringing Croatia back to great success? Coach Zlatko Dalic's team is currently ranked 11th in the FIFA rankings and second in Group L, behind England. Journey to the World Cup The Croatian team had a near-perfect qualifying journey, gaining 22 points, 6 more than the Czech Republic, who lost 1-5 in Croatia (drawn 0-0 in the second leg). They scored 26 goals in 8 matches and conceded only 4 goals, with 7 wins, 1 draw and no defeats. Kramaric is the top scorer with 6 goals, followed by Perisic with 4 goals. Lineup Not much need to be said about Modric, Perisic and Kramaric, although they are no longer in their prime, they still maintain a high level of performance. For example, Modric, a Milan player, is still playing at the top level in Serie A at the age of 40. Along with Mateo Kovacic (32 years old), they are important pillars of the team. The No. 9 position was temporarily assigned to Ante Budimir, 34 years old, who had 2 goals in the qualifying round. New talents like Petar Sucic and Martin Baturina are now familiar names in Dalic's squad. From Serie A, there are also Nikola Vlasic and Mario Pasalic, always contributing positively to the team. The next potential names are Luka Vuskovic (19 years old, playing for Hamburg) and Igor Matanovic (23 years old, from Freiburg). Experience and youth will be the deciding factors. Projected starting lineup for Croatia (3-5-2): Livakovic; Sutalo, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Stanisic, Kovacic, Modric, Sucic, Perisic; Kramaric, Budimir. List of players called up Goalkeeper: Dominik Livaković (Dinamo Zagreb), Dominik Kotarski (Copenhagen), Ivor Pandur (Hull City). Defenders : Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City), Duje Ćaleta-Car (Real Sociedad), Josip Šutalo (Ajax), Josip Stanišić (Bayern Munich), Marin Pongračić (Fiorentina), Martin Erlić (Midtjylland), Luka Vušković (Hamburg). Midfielders : Luka Modrić (Milan), Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta), Nikola Vlašić (Torino), Luka Sučić (Real Sociedad), Martin Baturina (Como), Kristijan Jakić (Augusta), Petar Sučić (Inter), Nikola Moro (Bologna), Toni Fruk (Rijeka). Forward : Ivan Perišić (PSV Eindhoven), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pašalić (Orlando City), Petar Musa (Dallas), Igor Matanović (Freiburg).