Alphonso Davies and Co. did their nation proud on their first trip to the finals in 36 years against Group F heavyweights Belgium, despite falling to a narrow 1-0 defeat. Indeed, had Davies scored an early penalty, things could have been different.
Their first-half performance will have given Croatia cause for concern after the Luka Modric-led nation’s poor 0-0 draw against Morocco.
Below are the confirmed lineups for both teams based on the latest news leading up to the match.
MORE: How to watch Croatia vs. Canada
Croatia vs Canada lineups
Canada came away from their Belgium defeat with zero points, but coach John Herdman still has a fully fit squad to take on Croatia.
Herdman was proud of his team after the opening match, but wants more.
“The big question was can we cope with the big boys and for a lot of that game we did,” the Canada coach said. “But we didn’t take three points and there was a deep frustration underneath all of the celebration of the performance.”
Croatia confirmed starting 11
(4-3-3, right to left): Livakovic (GK) — 22. Juranovic, 6. Lovren, 20. Gvardiol, 19. Sosa — 10. Modric, 11. Brozovic, 8. Kovacic — 14. Livaja, 9. Kramaric, 4. Perisic.
Injured: Nikola Vlasic Suspended: None
One change was inevitable in Croatia’s lineup, with Nikola Vlasic set to be sidelined. The Torino man was withdrawn at halftime against Morocco with a calf problem.
Vlasic was absent from training for two days in the aftermath but rejoined the squad on Saturday. As some Croatian outlets reported pre-match, it was Hadjuk Split forward Marko Livaja who replaces the injured winger in attack.
Despite some speculation as to other changes, all other players who started against Morocco retain their places, with the likes of Dejan Lovren and Andrej Kramaric continuing to see the field.
Canada confirmed starting 11
(3-5-2, right to left): 18. Borjan (GK) — 2. Johnston, 5. Vitoria, 4. Miller — 22. Laryea, 7. Eustaquio, 11. Buchanan, 13. Hutchinson, 19. Davies — 20. David, 17. Larin.
Injured: None Suspended: None
Canada were expected to stick with the lineup that faced Belgium, with a fully fit squad still at Herdman’s disposal. That came true, as there was just one change, with Canada all-time leading goalscorer Cyle Larin coming into the attack, while playmaker Junior Hoilett drops to the bench.
Alphonso Davies was fantastically sharp in the opening match, cooling pre-tournament fears over his condition. The Bayern Munich star picked up a hamstring problem in Germany on November 5, but is clearly back to full fitness.
Croatia vs Canada World Cup squads
Here are the names on the Canadian and Croatian World Cup squads in Qatar (caps correct as of start of Qatar 2022):
