Injury rules out Croatia star from crucial UEFA Nations League clash vs England

November 17, 2018 By Ali M.

Topics: Ivan Rakitic, Zlatko Dalic, England, Croatia, UEFA Nations League

Zlatko Dalic confirmed this huge blow ahead of their do-or-die trip to the Wembley Stadium.

The stakes are high for Croatia for their upcoming clash with England; however, the 2014 World Cup runner-up will be without one of their biggest names for Sunday's game. That man is Ivan Rakitic, with Zlatko Dalic confirming that he will miss their next match through injury.

The Vatreni will head to Wembley to lock horns with the Three Lions in a do-or-die UEFA Nations League clash. Both progression and relegation remain possible for the Croats, highlighting the importance of this tie, but they will, unfortunately, be without one of their two impressive midfielders.

While the national team boss did not specify what the injury was, Dalic revealed that the Barcelona man is not 100 percent fit. The manager did admit that his knock is serious and has thus released him from the national squad in order to return to the Blaugrana to begin his recovery.

"He will go to Barcelona, it's a serious injury," Dalic said, as per Sky Sports.

"You know that I usually take no risk. If there is a doubt that the injury could be serious, then we let him rest.

"We want healthy players and Ivan in this moment is not 100 percent ready. Unfortunately, we are going to play without him."

This is a huge blow for Croatia, as Rakitic's partnership with Luka Modric has helped the nation reach new heights. They exceeded expectations and made it all the way to the final at Russia 2018, but a UEFA Nations League relegation could dampen their spirits.

A lot rides on Sunday's game, as a win could see them snatch a spot in the finals away from Spain. On the flip side, a defeat would see Modric and Co. drop to League B. Meanwhile, a score draw would secure them survival but would not be enough to see them leapfrog La Furia Roja into the playoffs.

This ray of hope is why Dalic refused to grieve over the absence of Rakitic. Instead, the gaffer argued that their are solutions within his squad to solve this headache, pointing to Kovacic, Brekalo, and Badelj as key options.

"There is always a solution and we should stop whining about someone who's not going to be there. We will find a solution and we are going to Wembley to enjoy football," the Croatian boss added.