Croatia call up Kovacic

Four Serie A-based players have been named in Croatia’s preliminary World Squad, including Mateo Kovacic.

Four Serie A-based players have been named in Croatia’s preliminary World Squad, including Mateo Kovacic.

The Inter midfielder, Fiorentina forward Ante Rebic, Genoa full-back Sime Vrsaliko and Udinese defender Igor Bubnjic have been included in Niko Kovac’s squad, which will lose three players before the tournament kicks off in June.

Croatia have been drawn in Group A of the competition alongside hosts Brazil, who they open the tournament up with on June 12, and Mexico and Cameroon.

Provisional Croatia World Cup squad

Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov), Danijel Subasic (Monaco), Dario Kresic (Lokomotiv)

Defenders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kijev), Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv), Dejan Lovren (Southampton), Josip Pivaric (Dinamo), Ivan Strinic (Dnipro), Gordon Schildenfeld (Panathinaikos), Sime Vrsaljko (Genoa), Igor Bubnjic (Udinese)

Midfielders: Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla), Luka Modric (Real Madrid), Ivan Perisic (Wolfsburg), Mateo Kovacic (Inter), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kijev), Niko Kranjcar (QPR), Arijan Ademi (Dinamo), Alen Halilovic (Dinamo)

Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Bayern), Ivica Olic (Wolfsburg), Eduardo (Shakhtar), Jelavic (Everton), Nikola Kalinic (Dnipro), Rebic (Fiorentina)