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Croatia FACTBOX

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FIFA ranking: 14

Coach: Zlatko Dalic

Dalic, who took over in October 2017, impressed in his second year when he led Croatia to the 2018 World Cup final where they lost 4-2 to France. However, he came under fire after the Balkan nation had a poor run in the following year’s UEFA Nations League where they finished bottom of their group behind England and Spain.

Captain: Luka Modric

Voted the best player in the world in 2018, Modric is Croatia’s most-capped player with 136 appearances and the 35-year-old midfielder has continued to pull the strings for his club side Real Madrid.

Top player: Ivan Perisic

Perisic has scored 27 goals in 99 appearances for Croatia. The 32-year-old was part of Inter Milan’s Serie A title-winning team this season with three goals and five assists.

Tournament history    

Croatia have never won the Euros, reaching the quarter-finals in 1996 and 2008. They were knocked out in the last 16 in 2016 and suffered first-round exits in 2004 and 2012. Their worst performance dates back to 2000 when they failed to qualify for the tournament.

Recent form    

2021    Croatia 3-0 Malta       World Cup qualifying
2021    Croatia 1-0 Cyprus      World Cup qualifying
2021    Slovenia 1-0 Croatia    World Cup qualifying
2020    Croatia 2-3 Portugal    UEFA Nations League
2020    Sweden 2-1 Croatia      UEFA Nations League

Tournament fixtures:    

June 13: v England, London
June 18: v Czech Republic, Glasgow
June 22: v Scotland, Glasgow

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