Croatia were a longshot in World Cup winner odds four years ago. They still reached the final, only to lose 4-2 to France.
A repeat of that run might very unlikely in Qatar, but this is still a nation with sufficient talent to cause problems for the inner circle of contenders.
Croatia are grouped with Belgium, Canada and Morocco and are favoured by most World Cup result predictions to reach the knockout rounds at the very least.
Luka Modrić
Despite being into his thirties, Luka Modrić is one of the best midfielders in the world. Alongside Mateo Kovačić and Marcelo Brozović, he can orchestrate matches even against players with much fewer miles in the legs.
Few players can match Modrić’s big-game experience too, from a collection of stellar Champions League performances to his Golden Ball showing in Russia.
Modrić doesn’t have to get on the scoresheet or notch an assist to influence a match. He can pull teams apart from deep positions. The duel with Kevin De Bruyne and Belgium’s midfield in the group is especially intriguing.
Mislav Oršić
Not the biggest football betting name in the Croatia squad, Mislav Oršić has resisted transfer interest from elsewhere to stick with Dinamo Zagreb.
Oršić has scored 20 or more goals in each of the last three full seasons for Dinamo, and has already netted 11 in 25 outings this season.
With pace to burn, Oršić is invaluable late in games. He has his work cut out to start at the World Cup, having not started Croatia’s last three, but he is a serious threat on the break.
Ivan Perišić
Scorer of the equaliser against England in the semi-final four years ago, Ivan Perišić has won the Champions League, Bundesliga and Serie A since then.
Perišić might be 33 years old, but he still has the energy to bomb up and down the left flank when required.
Where he has predominantly been a wing-back for Inter and Tottenham, look Zlatko Dalić to utilise Perišić in a more advanced role.
Mario Pašalić
The veteran trio still patrol the midfield, but Mario Pašalić has an important role to play either from the flank or as an option off the bench to replace one of Modrić, Kovačić or Brozović.
Pašalić has been featured on the right of the front three at times, though the Atlanta midfielder usually operates in a central role at club level.
A hard-worker with an eye for goal, the Mainz-born midfielder could be overshadowed by his bigger-name teammates, but he has a meaningful role to play in this squad.
Joško Gvardiol
Linked with Leeds in 2021 and Chelsea earlier this year, Joško Gvardiol is a man in demand across Europe.
While still in the early stages of his career at just 20 years old, Gvardiol has proven he can perform at a high level in the Bundesliga and Champions League with RB Leipzig.
The youngster has the highest market value of any Croatian player – he’s the future of the national team, but he’s also an asset in 2022.
