August 16, 2021 - There are some surprises in Zlatko Dalić's Croatia player list for the September 2022 World Cup qualifiers, as Ante Rebić, Šime Vrsaljko, Bruno Petković, and Josip Brekalo were left off the list this time around. 

The Croatia national team's first gathering after Euro 2020 is scheduled for Monday, August 30, after which the 2018 World Cup finalists will again have a busy schedule with three games in a week in September. Croatia will play against Russia in Moscow on September 1. Three days later, they will compete against Slovakia in Bratislava. Finally, the September campaign will end against Slovenia on September 7 in Split, reports HNS.

Coach Zlatko Dalić invited 25 players for these games, with 4 call ups. 

"I believe that we all recharged our batteries well after the Euros and we want to do the autumn part of the qualifications with new energy and strong ambition. We have seven games ahead of us, 21 points on the table, and we will need another 14-15 points to win first place. But, of course, our wish is to get closer to that goal in September and take as many points as possible," said coach Dalić.

"This is, objectively, the hardest part of our schedule, and the start of the season is never an ideal time for the national team because players from different leagues are at different levels of competitiveness. But the circumstances are similar for everyone. Therefore, it is up to us to show quality, commitment, and togetherness worthy of first place in the group - only in this way can we achieve our goal, which is placement in Qatar. Therefore, with my coaching staff, I estimated that at this moment, this is a list of players who can best meet the demands ahead of us, and as always - the national team's doors are not closed to anyone who deserves it," concludes the coach.

Croatia player list for September: 

Goalkeepers: Dominik Livaković (Dinamo Zagreb), Simon Sluga (Luton Town), Ivica Ivušić (Osijek).

Defenders: Domagoj Vida (Bešiktaš), Dejan Lovren (Zenit), Borna Barišić (Glasgow Rangers), Duje Ćaleta-Car (Olimpique de Marseille), Josip Juranović (Legia), Filip Uremović (Rubin Kazan), Joško Gvardiol (RB Leipzig), Mile Škorić (Osijek), Borna Sosa (Stuttgart).

Midfielders: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta), Nikola Vlašić (CSKA Moskva), Luka Ivanušec (Dinamo Zagreb), Nikola Moro (Dinamo Moskva).

Strikers: Ivan Perišić (Inter), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Mislav Oršić (Dinamo Zagreb), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marko Livaja (Hajduk), Antonio Mirko Čolak (Malmö).

Callups: Toma Bašić (Bordeaux), Kristijan Lovrić (Gorica), Lovro Majer (Dinamo Zagreb), Luka Sučić (RB Salzburg).

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