Croatia squad for Switzerland friendly

Croatia coach Niko Kovac has named a squad for next month's friendly against Switzerland as part of his team's preparations for the 2014 World Cup finals.

Croatia coach Niko Kovac has named a 27-man squad for next month's friendly against Switzerland to be played as part of his team's preparations for the 2014 World Cup finals.

Croatia will face Switzerland in St Gallen on March 5. Their second friendly, against Mali, is scheduled for May 31, most likely at home.

"The Fiery Ones" ("Vatreni") were to play their last World Cup build-up match on June 6, against Australia, already in Brazil.

Croatia have been drawn in Group A, along with the hosts Brazil against whom they will play the World Cup's opening match at Sao Paolo on June 12, as well as Cameroon and Mexico.

"We have only three matches before the clash with Brazil. We watched them, they always play more or less with the same team and they are very well coordinated," Kovac said.

"I hope that we will play ourselves in during the three (friendly) matches," the 42-year-old former Croatia captain added.

"It will be a very good testing for us."

Croatia's best result at a World Cup was third place in 1998 in France, but they missed out on the last edition in South Africa.

Squad

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov/RUS), Danijel Subasic (Monaco/FRA)

Defenders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Igor Bubnjic (Udinese/ITA), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kiev/UKR), Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Dejan Lovren (Southampton/ENG), Danijel Pranjic (Panathinaikos/GRE), Ivan Strinic (Dniepropetrvsk/UKR), Gordon Schindelfeld (Panathinaikos/GRE), Sime Vrsaljko (Genoa/ITA), Hrvoje Milic (Rostov/RUS)

Midfielders: Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla/ESP), Luka Modric (Real Madrid/ESP), Ivan Perisic (VfL Wolfsburg/GER), Mateo Kovacic (Inter Milan/ITA), Milan Badelj (Hamburg/GER), Niko Kranjcar (QPR/ENG), Mate Males (Rijeka), Ivo Ilicevic (Hamburg/GER), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kiev/UKR)

Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Bayern Munich/GER), Ivica Olic (VfL Wolfsburg/GER), Eduardo Da Silva (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Nikica Jelavic (Everton/ENG), Ante Rebic (Fiorentina/ITA), Leon Benko (Rijeka)


2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


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