March 25, 2022 - Zlatko Dalić has revealed the Croatia lineup against Slovenia tomorrow, which kicks off the friendly tournament in Doha. 

The Croatia national football team will play a friendly match against Slovenia in Doha on Saturday at 3 pm, which will be an excellent opportunity for coach Zlatko Dalić to try out the new system.

"I expect the players to show what we have been doing these two days, and we have had great training sessions these two days. I can tell you right away which 11 will start tomorrow. Livaković will be in goal; the back three will be Ćaleta Car, Gvardiol, Pongračić; Perišić, and Juranović will be on the wing, and the three in the midfield are Jakić, Modrić, and Kovačić. Kramarić and Budimir lead the attack.

The decision to play here is one hundred percent right; we are here to get acquainted with the conditions that await us at the World Cup. I need to emphasize that this is great that we have already qualified so we can play more relaxed."

Croatia has not yet secured a place in the second pot for the World Cup group draw:

"There is no relaxation, and we have to play to win, we have two good opponents, and we have to play at the highest level."

Joško Guardiola is one of Croatia's best new players. 

"It all depends on Joško; he has shown his potential, he has to work every day and prove himself again, that is the most important thing. Nevertheless, we got a great player for the national team."

Dalić spoke about their decision to come to Doha for these friendly matches:

"I worked hard to come here, to see the conditions; I wanted to feel this place as a team. We wanted to play against Qatar, but I understand their coach wants some easier opponents. I wish Qatar a lot of luck, they put in a lot of effort, and I have a lot of fond memories here."

Slovenian journalists were interested in how seriously Croatia was preparing for Slovenia:

"We come here with full respect for Slovenia and Bulgaria; Slovenia has a great coach in Kek, we will have a worthy opponent tomorrow. We were preparing for the game, they have already beaten us once, so we know how dangerous they are. I was one of those who invited Slovenia to this tournament."

Guardiol was also present at the press conference and commented on the new system:

"I am not unfamiliar with playing three in the back, as we have been practicing this with Leipzig for half a year. The problem with the national team is that we don't have much time to adjust, but the last two training sessions, we were maximally focused on this, and we will try to transfer that to the game."

Source: HRT

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March 22, 2022 - The Croatia national football team faces two friendly matches against Slovenia and Bulgaria in Doha. Brozović and Vrsaljko will not travel with the team to Qatar, while Brekalo has tested positive for coronavirus. 

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić announced the tournament in Doha on Monday as the national team gathered in Zagreb for the first time since qualifying for the 2022 World Cup. Croatia will face Slovenia and Bulgaria in Doha on March 26 and March 29, reports HNS.

Dalić revealed that Šime Vrsaljko and Marcelo Brozović dropped out due to injuries, while Mile Škorić and Nikola Moro will step in instead.

"Brozović and Vrsaljko dropped out of the original lineup due to injuries, and I'm sorry about that. We gather in Zagreb, but five players come to Doha directly from their clubs. Our motivation is great in the upcoming matches to prepare for what awaits us in June. This will be a very good test for all of us to see what we can do, to prepare for the Nations League," said Dalić, who made it clear that he intends to use all players.

"We invited 25 players, and the idea is for everyone to play. We will give a chance to all the players, but there is no point in burdening them to the maximum. I want to try all the players. Our goal is for everyone to play. We will make two teams for those two games; the players are very busy in their clubs anyway. I think it will be good to relieve them a bit."

"We will play with three in the defense in both games; we will try that system to have another tactical addition. We will have two good games because the opponents are good. We will work on the unity of the national team," Dalić began and added:

"I am looking forward to this gathering and matches because the national team is together after four months. Unfortunately, Brozović and Vrsaljko dropped out due to muscle injuries, both of whom remained at their clubs to rehabilitate. That is why we activated the reserves Škorić and Moro." 

What happened with Petković?

"I do not want to write off Bruno Petković, and I did not write him off. I want him as he was in the qualifications. That is good for us, and I am waiting for him. I want him back in shape; I emphasize in the striker position because I see him there.

I hope that he will come back and that by June, he will be better and understand my message that he is not up to standard and that he can do much, much better. We do not have a more complete and better striker than Bruno Petković when he is in the right form. He has not been written off, and I want him on the national team. "

Who will be in goal?

"Livaković will defend one game, and one by Ivušić. That's the plan. Grbić has no right to be called if he does not defend at his club. The goalkeeper is not in the right condition if he does not defend. So we have no reason to fear, Livaković is defending well, Ivušić as well, and younger keepers are coming. There is also Lovre Kalinić, who is good in Hajduk," reveals coach Dalić.

Brozović and Vrsaljko dropped out, as well as Josip Brekalo

"Something always happens that we did not anticipate, and Brozović and Vrsaljko dropped out. We are following the others, especially the young players, surely some will come to the competition. First of all being Stanišić and Sučić, who are already with us.

There is also Šutalo, but all in good time. We have the basis of the team; we have the breadth because each position is filled with two or three players. We have a combination of experience and youth, new ones give energy, but without more experienced ones, it will not work. We are not in a hurry with the final conclusions; we will give everyone a chance. We follow young players who have an opportunity to jump in with good performances," said Dalić.

Last night, news arrived that national team member Josip Brekalo tested positive for coronavirus and will miss Croatia's first friendly match in Doha on March 26 against Slovenia. Depending on how the situation develops, he will compete in the second match in Doha on March 29 against Bulgaria.

Brekalo recorded 30 appearances for the national team and scored four goals.

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March 20, 2022 - Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić has called up Osijek defender Mile Škorić and Dinamo Moscow midfielder Nikola Moro to the upcoming friendly matches against Slovenia and Bulgaria in Qatar.

The Croatia national football team will play two friendly matches later this month in Qatar, the host of the 2022 World Cup. The first match is scheduled for Saturday, March 26 at 3 pm against Slovenia. The second match will be played against Bulgaria on Tuesday, March 29 at 4 pm, both at the Education City Stadium in Doha.

These will be the first Croatia national team matches after qualifying for the 2022 World Cup and will serve as preparation for coach Zlatko Dalić and what awaits the team for the rest of the year. This tournament also serves as excellent preparation for the World Cup in Qatar, as the climate and stadiums will be tested. As far as tactics are concerned, Dalić will also test a new formation with three in the backline as there will be no room to experiment in the four Nations League matches in June.

"We'll try a new system with three in the back and we'll see how it works. We'll stick to our tactics so far, but now we have some training, so we will try something different," said Dalić ahead of the tournament. 

"We've tried putting three players in the back a couple of times, but now we have time and we want to try that system. Several of our players play it in their clubs and it could fit."

Dalić subsequently added two players from the reserves list, namely Mile Škorić from Osijek and Nikola Moro from Dinamo Moscow for the friendly matches against Slovenia and Bulgaria. Osijek defender Mile Škorić will join the national team at a gathering in Zagreb on Monday (March 21), while Dinamo Moscow midfielder Nikola Moro will arrive in Doha, where the 2018 World Cup finalists will arrive on Tuesday.

Source: HNS

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February 26, 2022 - Zlatko Dalić and the Croatia coaching staff are preparing for the upcoming national team gathering in March, when Croatia will play a friendly tournament in Doha against Slovenia and Bulgaria. 

Croatia national team coach Zlatko Dalić held a meeting with members of his professional staff on Thursday at the HNS headquarters, reports HNS.

In addition to coach Dalić, the meeting was attended by technical director Stipe Pletikosa, assistants Ivica Olić, Mario Mandžukić, and Dražen Ladić, goalkeeper coach Marjan Mrmić, fitness coach Luka Milanović and team manager Iva Olivari, while Vedran Ćorluka and Marc Rochon were justifiably absent.

Dalić spoke with his associates about the upcoming national team gathering in March, the first after November 2021 when Croatia successfully qualified for the World Cup in Qatar. In March, Croatia will travel to Doha to play friendly matches against Slovenia and Bulgaria.

"Although we are in constant contact, it is good when we manage to gather live and talk about what awaits us. I am glad to see all staff members full of energy, enthusiasm, and optimism ahead of the March gathering, which everyone is very excited about. We are following our players in detail, we are thinking about how to make the most of this gathering in Doha both on and off the pitch, and I believe that we will lay a good foundation there for everything that awaits us later in the year," said coach Dalić.

Recall, the Croatian Football Federation management agreed that the Croatia national team would play a friendly tournament in Qatar in March, with two matches in Doha.

Croatia will face Slovenia on March 26 and play Bulgaria three days later. The national team of Qatar will also play in the tournament against Bulgaria (March 26) and Slovenia (March 29). The matches will be played at the stadiums in Doha, where the FIFA World Cup matches will be played. The exact timetables and stadiums will be defined later, and HNS will inform fans promptly about the possibilities of buying tickets.

The Croatia coach and the staff members also watched the Europa League match between Dinamo and Sevilla. The Croatian champion was eliminated after a 3:2 aggregate for the Spanish side.

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March 12, 2020 - Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the international Qatar Airways tournament in Doha, featuring Croatia, Portugal, Switzerland and Belgium, will not be played this month, the Croatian Football Federation announced.

HNS reports that the Croatian football team was due to play in a friendly tournament in Qatar's capital Doha at the end of March and measure its strength against the national teams of Switzerland and Portugal as part of preparations for the 2020 European Championships.

However, given the emerging health circumstances around the world, the tournament was canceled. In addition to Croatia, Switzerland and Portugal, the current top-ranked national team by FIFA was due to perform - Belgium.

The Croatian Football Federation will subsequently inform the public of the plans of the first team during the national team break.

A few days ago, Qatar authorities imposed a mandatory 14-day quarantine for all travelers arriving or staying in Italy for the past two weeks, after which they closed schools and universities, so a tournament delay was expected.

Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic hoped to have two quality matches in Doha, and planned to give all players a chance and try out some systems.

“The plan is to give everyone a chance and to see the condition of all players, especially those who have been injured. The most important thing for me is to have seven days of  being together because there won't be much time later,”  the coach said Monday after releasing the player list for Doha.

This news comes after the Croatian Football Federation announced that all Croatian league games in the country would be played without fans until March 31. 

“Taking into account the emerging circumstances regarding the epidemic of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, today the leading people of the HNS and the relevant bodies of the Federation have re-analyzed the current situation and decided that all matches in competitions under the jurisdiction of the HNS will be played without spectators until March 31.

The new measure applies to the HT First League, Croatian Cup, 2. HNL, 3. HNL, 1. HNLŽ, 2. HNLŽ, 1. HMNL, 2. HMNL and all youth leagues under the auspices of HNS, as well as the upcoming UEFA qualifying matches that take place in Croatia.

In these competitions, only teams with their staff, senior management and officials of clubs and HNS, technical staff and a certain number of media representatives will be able to attend the matches until further notice, with all the usual measures for organizing matches.

The HNS also recommends that all county associations take the same measure in competitions under their jurisdiction.

As before, the HNS will closely monitor the development of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus epidemic and, if necessary, determine other measures to which the football family and the public will be informed in due time. The decision shall enter into force immediately and shall be valid until March 31 or the end of the representative break. The Federation will make a timely decision to continue or discontinue this measure, taking into account developments, recommendations from public health institutions, and considering, above all, the health of spectators, football players and all other actors in football.

You can find the Croatia Football Federation's statement in Croatian here.

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