Croatian football players started gathering today in Zagreb as part of preparations for the upcoming European Championship in Germany.
Some of the players have been gathering since noon at the Sheraton Hotel in Zagreb, and coach Zlatko Dalić has invited 26 players with whom he plans to go to the tournament and another nine who will prepare with them.
"We are starting preparations, and we will complete them on the fly. Some 12 players should gather today, some will come on the 28th, some on the 29th, and by June 3rd they should all gather. Thank God there is no news about new injuries." Dalić said at the press conference, Hina reported.
Unlike some coaches who announced a wider list of players, Dalić immediately announced the 26 names he plans to take to the European Championship.
"From my experience and practice, it turned out to be better, it's easier to call someone later than to send them home," said Dalić.
Today, the national team will go to a reception with the president of Croatia, Zoran Milanović, who will honor the players, members of the coaching staff and delegations of the Football Association who participated in winning the bronze medal at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Croatia will play North Macedonia in Rijeka on Monday, June 3, the first of two preparatory games before the European Championship. Five days later in Lisbon, Croatia will play against Portugal, after which they will head to Germany to their camp in Nojrupin.
Dalić said that the team will not be complete against North Macedonia, and that the duel against Portugal will be a real test and stated that he will not make any experiments.
"There is no need, nor do I have the desire to change. We have been doing the same for six years and we have good results. Maybe there will be new things in the fall, for the League of Nations and at the World Cup in the USA," he said.
Before the start of the European Championship, the Croatian national team members are expected to receive a reception from Pope Francis, they will have a send-off with the fans in Rujevica, and then an open training session at the camp in Germany.
"These are the things we have in mind. Going to see the Pope will mean a lot to us. We know what comes next, but we have to maintain peace and concentration. We will be maximally focused on the first game with the Spaniards. We know that we will have great support from the fans, and that will give us extra energy and strength. I believe there will be 100.000 of our fans in Berlin, maybe 50.000 in the stadium," added the coach.
Dalić revealed that Joško Guardiol will play at the left back position at the European Championship.
"He has a great season behind him in the position of left back. He made his debut in that position for Croatia at the last European Championship. Then I was criticized for that, and when Guardiola puts him on the side, there are no criticisms. Joško showed that he can play well in that position, that's when his speed comes to the fore. Our idea is for Joško to be in that position, to continue doing what he's doing in Manchester. Vedran Ćorluka was with him, they talked about it, he added is he.
The Croatian national team achieved its greatest success at the world championships, where it has silver from 2018 and two bronzes in 1998 and 2022, as well as silver in the League of Nations, while it did not advance beyond the quarterfinals at the European championships.
"Croatia at the Euros never got past the first game after the group. The last Euro did not remain in my best memory. Somehow everything was wrong. The match against Spain was bad for 70 minutes, we came back and lost 3:5. I hope that "We need to be smart, calm and have a good chance, but there are many strong teams," said Dalić.
The European Championship will be played from June 14 to July 14, and Croatia will play in Group B against Spain, Italy and Albania.
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