Slaven Bilić’s Squad for England and Czechia!

Bilić Names 25-Man Squad For England And Czechia: Šotiček And Hrgović Get First Senior Call-Ups

Croatia’s national team gather in Zagreb on Monday for the final two games of the Nations League group phase, away to England at Wembley on November 12 and at home to Czechia in Osijek three days later. It’s a lighter camp than October’s, which ran for three weeks and included four matches.

Slaven Bilić has cut his 32-man provisional list down to 25. Andrej Kramarić, Marin Pongračić and Franjo Ivanović are out through injury, and Bilić said at the press conference that he had also left out Lovro Majer, Karlo Letica, Petar Musa and Toni Fruk.

Goalkeepers (3): Dominik Livaković (Barcelona), Dominik Kotarski (Dinamo), Ivor Pandur (Rangers)

Defenders (7): Joško Gvardiol (Manchester City), Josip Šutalo (Lazio), Duje Ćaleta-Car (Sassuolo), Josip Stanišić (Bayern München), Luka Vušković (Brighton), Ivan Smolčić (Como), Šimun Hrgović (Hajduk)

Midfielders (9): Luka Modrić (Milan), Mateo Kovačić (Manchester City), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta), Nikola Vlašić (Torino), Martin Baturina (Como), Petar Sučić (Inter), Luka Sučić (Real Sociedad), Kristijan Jakić (Augsburg), Josip Mišić (Dinamo)

Forwards (6): Ivan Perišić (PSV), Ante Budimir (Osasuna), Marco Pašalić (Orlando City), Igor Matanović (Freiburg), Dion Drena Beljo (Dinamo), Marin Šotiček (Hajduk)

Hajduk’s Marin Šotiček and Šimun Hrgović receive their first senior call-ups. Both have been in excellent form in Hajduk colours this season. Hrgović has established himself as the league’s best left-back, and with that position short of options for Croatia, Bilić has decided to give the youngster a chance.

Wide areas are another position where Croatia lack depth, and Šotiček is a potential solution. Since joining Hajduk on loan from Basel in the summer, he has scored three goals and provided six assists in 19 games. He is quick, mobile and sharp with the ball, a type of player Croatia don’t have many of, and he has flourished a lot under Gonzalo Garcia since joining. With Ivan Perišić suspended for the England game, Šotiček could get his chance at Wembley.

Bilić also got asked about leaving out Darko Nejašmić and Luka Stojković, to which he answered: “We monitor them for both the first and second squad lists. I watch all the matches. I’ve spoken about Stojković before, and you’ve written plenty of articles about him. He is an interesting player with some top qualities. “I was at the match against Rijeka, and I also watched him against Sunderland. He is a number 10 who has the shooting ability of a striker. He scores goals, provides assists and creates chances. However, there are other players in that position too. When he is good, he is very good.

As for Nejašmić, he is also a good player. I watched him against Dinamo and Juventus; I watch everything. He is somewhat of a victim of the team’s weaknesses, particularly when it comes to covering space defensively. NEC play as if they aren’t particularly concerned about what happens behind their backs. You get the impression that Dinamo, for example, could have scored with almost every attack. We have slightly different profiles in that position. He has good vision, I know him very well, and we monitor him. Not just those two, but all players. There isn’t much room for complacency, of course, and not everyone starts from zero. But when it comes to national team call-ups, there are only a few things that matter: first, how you performed at the previous international camp; second, your performances for your club in the meantime; and third, your training sessions, where you can finish each one with a small plus or minus. It’s all very simple. The same applies to both Luka and Nejašmić.”

And when proposed with a question about Livaković’s status due to him being a back-up at Barcelona, the Croatia head coach answered: “That is something we have to consider. In the long term, it’s a valid question. He is still in the national team picture, and we’ll decide what’s best. “It’s not good that he isn’t playing. You can talk about Barcelona training sessions and Yamal shooting at you, but it’s not the same. I can’t say he is owed anything, there is no debt, but he has been a good goalkeeper for us. We’ll see.”