Outright Odds: sixty six/one
Team File Winners: six/1
Croatia enter their third successive finals and will look for a repeat on the heroics of 1998 in lieu of the shame of 2002. They topped a tricky qualifying team which integrated Bulgaria and Hungary and remained unbeaten in excess of ten matches which integrated house and away victories over fellow qualifiers Sweden.
Underneath supervisor Zlatko Kranjcar Croatia are a different workforce to how neutrals will remember them from their 1998 exploits which saw them reach the semi-remaining. Gone are aptitude gamers for example Zvonimir Boban, Robert Prosinecki and former Golden Boot Davor Suker. They have already been replaced by much more useful gamers such as the Kovac brothers, Marko Babic and Dado Prso.
Like fellow qualifiers Serbia & Montenegro, Croatias results stemmed from a solid defence where by they stored 6 clear sheets in 10 video games and conceded just five targets in the method.
One more toughness can be a selection of the current Croatia squad are based in the Bundesliga, with Josip Simunic and Niko Kovac at Hertha Berlin, Babic dependent at Bayer Leverkusen and Ivan Klasnic contracted to Werder Bremen.
Croatia have unearthed a expertise in midfielder Dario Srna who's got developed a knack for scoring important targets. The Shakhtar Donetsk participant scored both equally goals in The 2 1-0 wins above Sweden from the 룰렛사이트 defining matches from the group.
Important striker Dado Prso scored five ambitions in qualifying, his countrys joint top scorer with Srna. He burst into prominence when he netted 4 ambitions for Monaco within the 8-three Champions League thrashing of Deportivo La Coruna. He designed his international debut eight months ahead of the match but has because develop into an automatic selection in attack.
Croatia have absent regarding their business enterprise quietly and confidently and Regardless of their unbeaten qualification efforts, will remain unfancied by several to create any affect during the finals. That could accommodate them fine as former coach Mirko Jozic blamed the pressure on the class of 1998 with the dismal failure of your 2002 squad which observed them drop one-0 to Ecuador inside their final match.
Finally, they encounter favourites Brazil inside their opening match so will not have to bother with going through the reigning champions inside a crunch team decider. If they might consider anything at all from that activity they will be in pole posture to achieving the next spherical.
Advisable Guess
Despite the clear toughness on the team, Croatia are much more than capable of qualifying from it supplied their the latest showings in qualifying with the finals. With among the meanest defences in Europe and a number of gamers plying their trade in Germany They are really a seem guess to adhere to Brazil into the final sixteen.
Croatia to qualify from Group F @ 5/six
