Euro 2012 Preview - Croatia
Nickname: "Vatreni" ("The Blazers")
Absurd FIFA ranking: 8th
Coach: World Cup 1998 villain Slaven Bilic
Match Schedule:
June 10 – Croatia v. Ireland (Poznan, 2:45 p.m. EST)
June 14 – Croatia v. Italy (Poznan, 12 p.m.)
June 18 – Croatia v. Spain (Gdansk, 2:45 p.m.)
Prospects: Despite a recent renaissance and a top seeded spot in qualifying, Croatia finished second behind Greece in a weak group and were forced to defeat Turkey over two qualifying legs in order to join the elite 16 this summer. So, although the Croatian squad is full of skilful and familiar players to those of us who watch the Premiership, survival in a group that includes Spain and Italy seems remote.
Key Player: Wee Spurs playmaker Luka Modric makes this side tick; he'll have to be at his best in Polkraine if Croatia is to progress.
Youngster to watch: 20 year old Hadjuk Split striker Ante Vukusic already has ten caps and three goals under his belt.
Who Will Get the Goals: Former Arsenal man Eduardo, now playing at Shakhtar, has a remarkable strike rate for his national side - almost 50%.
Who Will Get the Cards: Rugged skipper Darijo Srna is fond of the rash challenge.
Prediction: Recent results such as yesterday's disappointing 1-1 draw with Norway suggest a bottom of the group finish for Croatia.
posted by The Blue Devil @ 9:39 AM
1 Comments:
I have to agree. This is one team that the Irish can actually defeat. I agree with you on key player , goals , and prediction. I am not familiar with this team, so I would not know any promising youngsters , if there are any.Slavan Bilic is not exactly a hero as a coach. I know the Croats lost to the Turks in a penalty shootout in the quarters after taking a late lead, they failed to qualify for the last World Cup, and will probably fail to qualify from the group stage.Plenty of players could get the cards as the maestro himself should be more than willing to pass on some useful tips!
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