Euro 2008 Who’s Who - CROATIA

Coach
Slaven BILIC: Popular hate figure in France after his histrionics earned Laurent Blanc a red card in the 1998 World Cup semi final but now a hero in his homeland following Croatia’s win at Wembley. Plays guitar, has a law degree and is a multi-linguist. Will be the youngest and, by far, the lowest paid coach at the tournament.

Goalkeepers
Mario GALINOVIC (Panathinaikos): Third choice goalkeeper, although performs consistently for his side in Greece.

Stipe PLETIKOSA (Spartak Moscow): Confident, talented goalkeeper with a point to prove after missing out on Euro 2004 through injury. Tomislav Butina, who deputised in that tournament, has now retired from international football.

Vedran RUNJE (Lens): Experienced keeper who is better than Lens’ Ligue 1 position suggests. Has strong reflexes and knows how to save a penalty.

Defenders
Vedran CORLUKA (Manchester City): Excellent, versatile defensive player, most commonly deployed at right-back. Played at left-back for the first time in a qualifier against England and can also hold in midfield.

Dario KNEZEVIC (Livorno): Has scored three goals from defence in a poor Livorno team this season, but his defending is such that he is unlikely to start.

Robert KOVAC (Borussia Dortmund): 34-year-old central defensive stalwart who lacks regular first-team football. German-born, he is the younger brother of captain Niko.

Danijel PRANJIC (Heerenveen): Left wing-back with a powerful shot who likes to attack. Is not as good at defending as Simunic but may benefit from the lack of club action of…

Dario SIMIC (Milan): Croatia’s most-capped player, survivor of the France ‘98 campaign. Can play in the centre or at right back, but if Bilic thinks he has gone stale Simunic will be moved inside and Pranjic picked at left-back.

Josip SIMUNIC (Hertha Berlin): Not Graham Poll’s favourite player. Left-back or centre-back who grew up in Australia; his antipodean accent is thought by some to be what confused the English referee at the 2006 World Cup, when he booked him three times in the Croatia-Australia match. Was awful in the 3-2 win at Wembley.

Hrvoje VEJIC (Tom Tomsk): Centre back or holding midfielder who is no longer ‘out of sight, out of mind’ despite playing for an unheralded Russian provincial club.

Midfielders
Niko KOVAC (Red Bull Salzburg): Captain, engine room and midfield enforcer. Is 36 and sure to want to bow out of the national side in style.

Niko KRANJCAR (Portsmouth): Technically superb, his time in the Premier League has made him less physically naïve. Likely to play from the left of a midfield diamond.

Jerko LEKO (Monaco): Can deputise for Srna on the right or Niko Kovac as a defensive midfielder. A strong shooter, he is not related to Ivan Leko from the World Cup squad.

Luka MODRIC (Tottenham Hotspur): Has just signed for the White Hart Lane club. Croatia’s jewel in an already shining midfield crown, he has the intelligence and execution to slice apart any defence.

Nikola POKRIVAC (Monaco): A team-mate of Leko but plays in the same rôle, although he can also fill in in defence.

Ivan RAKITIC (Schalke 04): Swiss-born youngster with bags of potential. Plays on either wing and impressed in Schalke’s Champions League run this season.

Darijo SRNA (Shakhtar Donetsk): One of the best true wing-backs in the world. Takes brilliant set pieces, scored from a free-kick against Australia in the World Cup.

Ognjen VUKOJEVIC (Dinamo Zagreb): Pretender to Niko Kovac’s throne. Hard-tacking, he tends to concede too many free-kicks to be a regular international starter.

Strikers
Igor BUDAN (Parma): Has missed much of this season through injury but scored plenty of goals in 06/07 as Parma eased themselves to Serie A safety.

Nikola KALINIC (Hajduk Split): The best striker in the Croatian league but likely to be nothing more than a squad player. His time will come.

Ivan KLASNIC (Werder Bremen): An extraordinary two years since the last World Cup have seen him endure two kidney transplants. Back in first team action, another of Croatia’s German-born contingent.

Ivica OLIC (Hamburg) Unpredictable left-sided attacking player who scored in the surprise win over Italy in the 2002 World Cup. Likely to start alongside Mladen Petric.

Mladen PETRIC (Borussia Dortmund): Robbed of the presence of Eduardo, the goalscoring burden falls on the former Switzerland Under-21 player. Prefers to play as a second-striker but will now be the main man up front.

Wish You Were Here?
EDUARDO da Silva (Arsenal): Suffered a horrific injury against Birmingham City in the winter; his career hangs in the balance.

Marko BABIC (Real Betis): Played in the 3-0 friendly defeat to Holland in February and has been out of the national team set-up ever since. Nevertheless, his omission, with Pranjic preferred, surprised many.