Football: Croatia squad for Italy Euro 2016 qualifier
Croatia and Italy both have a maximum nine points from three matches in Group H.
ZAGREB (AFP) - Croatia coach Niko Kovac named a 25-man squad on Thursday for the Euro 2016 qualifying encounter with Italy in Milan.
The announcement came a day after Croatia lost 2-1 to Argentina in a friendly match in London, their first defeat in five games -- but it was mitigated by the fact that Kovac had left his entire first XI back in Zagreb to prepare for Sunday s encounter with Italy.
"I m happy that the boys used the opportunity" to play against the Argentina team, but the "main burden for (Euro) qualifications will be taken by those who stayed in Zagreb," Kovac said.
"In London, we saw that we have a good alternative," the former Croatia captain added.
Croatia and Italy both have a maximum nine points from three matches in Group H, which also includes Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Malta and Norway.
Croatia squad
Goalkeepers: Danijel Subasic (Monaco/FRA), Lovre Kalinic (Hajduk Split), Ivan Vargic (Rijeka)
Defenders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk/UKR), Vedran Corluka (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool/ENG), Sime Vrsaljko (Sassuolo/ITA), Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kiev/UKR), Hrvoje Milic (Rostov/RUS), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen/GER), Marin Leovac (Rijeka)
Midfielders: Luka Modric (Real Madrid/ESP), Ivan Rakitic (Barcelona/ESP), Alen Halilovic (Barcelona B/ESP), Danijel Pranjic (Panathinaikos/GRE), Ivan Perisic (VfL Wolfsburg/GER), Mateo Kovacic (Inter Milan/ITA), Milan Badelj (Fiorentina/ITA), Marcelo Brozovic (Dinamo Zagreb), Domagoj Antolic (Dinamo Zagreb)
Forwards: Mario Mandzukic (Atletico Madrid/ESP), Ivica Olic (VfL Wolfsburg/GER), Duje Cop (Dinamo Zagreb), Andrej Kramaric (Rijeka), Anas Sharbini (Rijeka)
