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Croatia Euro 2012 Profile: Review of Croatia's team, coach and more
How Croatia qualified for Euro 2012
Croatia occupied Pot 1 ahead of the group stages draw for the UEFA Euro 2012 qualifiers. They fell in a section containing minnows like Malta, Georgia and Latvia. Israel and Greece completed the 6-team table.
Euro 2008 quarter-finalists Croatia started off their qualification campaign on a high. They produced a convincing performance and triumphed 3-0 in Latvia. The Blazers’ two defeats in the 2012 European Championship qualifiers came away to Georgia and at home to Greece.
Croatia vs Turkey Preview
Tonight, Slaven Bilic’s men will welcome Guus Hiddink’s wounded warriors in Croatia. However, Luka Modric is not contemplating complacency. The Tottenham Hotspur talisman is aware of Turkey’s potential to turn the tables around. According to Modric, the Croatians “have only done half the job”. Indeed, 90 more minutes are left to be played and the attacking midfielder is up for them.
“The most important thing is that we stay focused now. We can't relax, even a little bit. It could be very dangerous,” Modric stated in an interview with UEFA.com.
Turkey vs Croatia Preview
Croatia are looking to triumph in the playoffs even without the services of talisman Niko Kranjcar. The latter has been sidelined through injury along with Mladen Petric and Ivan Strinic. Bolton Wanderers’ Ivan Klasnic didn’t receive Slaven Bilic’s call up for the two-legged tie against Turkey but Bayern Munich’s Ivica Olic and Pranjic have been handed a role to play. As quoted by UEFA.com, Croatia’s Slaven Bilic explained his squad choices stating:
“Strinić's injury is a big problem for us but we have several solutions for his position. I have plenty of information about Turkey and we have our people there watching them.
Greece vs Croatia Preview
A year ago, when Croatia and Greece met in Zagreb, neither side managed to kill the other. The match ended in a goalless draw and a repeat of such a result will be more beneficial to Group F leaders Croatia this time out. However, it will emphasize the importance of each team’s very last Euro 2012 qualifier. On October 11, Croatia will host Latvia whereas Greece will end their campaign away to Georgia.
In fact, next Tuesday’s matches will lose the “thriller factor” if Croatia beat Greece on Friday. A 4-point gap will seal the Croatians’ UEFA Euro 2012 qualification as group winners.
Malta vs Greece: Can The Greeks Top Group F After Match-Day 5?
Fernando Santos men are starting to pick form in the Euro 2012 qualifiers. Frustration captivated Greek fans after their team stumbled to two consecutive draws in the first stages of the campaign. However, narrow victories over Latvia and Israel respectively have turned the tables around for the 2010 World Cup losers. Greece are now just behind Croatia in Group F and they stand a great chance of toping their section after match-day 5. The good news for the Greeks is that they will be playing Malta who are toothless, so expect 3 more points to fall in the bag of Saturday’s visitors. Portuguese coach Fernando Santos is looking forward to a victory against Group F’s bottom side.
Luxembourg vs France: The Return Of Ribery And Evra – Good Or Bad For France?
Coach Laurent has a distinctive way of working things out. For his first game in charge of Les Bleus, the ex-Bordeaux manager preferred not to call any of the 23 players that had participated in France’s shameful 2010 World Cup campaign. This was his way of giving collective punishment following the disgraceful incidents which had occurred within the country’s national football team in South Africa.
However, Coach Laurent Blanc was quick to remind the public that resentment against any player wasn’t part of his emotions as his task is simply to build the best squad France can have. One of the 45-year-old manager’s philosophy is to blend youth with experience – which explains why the door for Ribery and Patrice Evra to return to their national duties was never closed.
Confirmed: Israel To Play Croatia And Greece Without Yossi Benayoun
The ex-Liverpool midfielder picked up a calf injury in Chelsea’s 4-3 defeat to Newcastle in the Carling Cup last month. Benayoun had to limp off the field but earlier assessments explained he could have been fit to feature for Israel against Croatia on Saturday, October 9. Based on that, Coach Luis Fernandez opted to name the captain in his squad for the country’s upcoming Euro 2012 qualifying matches. However, the Israel Football Association has finally confirmed bad news for both Israel and Yossi Benayoun’s Chelsea. The player will have to spend his time on the sidelines for many months to come, reports explained. Benayoun has actually sustained a new injury besides the calf injury which he picked up a few weeks ago.
Euro 2012 Qualifying – Croatia vs Greece Match Preview
So what will happen when Croatia will play Greece at the Stadion Maksimir in Zagreb? Which of these two teams will pause its Euro 2012 qualifying campaign on a positive note before it resumes in October?
When Greece hosted Georgia on the opening day, they couldn’t quite make the most of their home advantage. Nikos Spiropoulos saved his side from losing as his 72nd minute equalizer cancelled Iashvili’s 3rd minue goal. Still, this wasn’t enough for the Greeks to be content with the result as Coach Fernando Santos explained:
“We weren’t expecting such a result [against Georgia]. What looked to work alright during training didn’t materialize on the pitch. We conceded an early goal, and I think this is what made us nervous and anxious. It was hard for us to control the game.”
Euro 2012 Qualifying – Latvia vs Croatia Match Preview
Latvia experienced a first round exit the only time they participated in a European Championship. That was back in 2004 when Portugal hosted the event. Now they are keen to reach the finals of the tournament again. Task number one is against Euro 2008 quarter-finalists Croatia. Can Latvia protect their five-game unbeaten record on home soil in competitive matches?
Group F is actually fairly balanced with Israel and Greece also vying for qualification as Georgia and Malta complete the section. It may seem hard to predict the outcome of Friday’s Euro 2012 qualifying match. History tells that Latvia got defeated twice by Croatia – one of these losses being experienced on home soil. Croatia’s Bosko Balaban will be remembered best for scoring four goals in total over two legs against Latvia as the Blazers reached the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Korea-Japan.
England v Croatia European World Cup qualification Match Preview
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The Three Lions welcome their foes Croatia at the Wembley Stadium where the atmosphere promises to be delightful from an English point of view.
Slaven Bilic’s Croatia will fight
With Ukraine seating in third place and three points behind Croatia with a game in hand, the pressure will be on Slaven Bilic’s side to beat England.
Speaking ahead of this crucial match for his country, the coach stated in regards to the England national team: