World Cup: Group D: Croatia vs. Nigeria, 6/16/2018

[Live in the Now]

Croatia

Coach: Zlatko Dalić

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	GK	Dominik Livaković	9 January 1995 (aged 23)	1	0	Dinamo Zagreb
2	DF	Šime Vrsaljko	10 January 1992 (aged 26)	35	0	Atlético Madrid
3	DF	Ivan Strinić	17 July 1987 (aged 30)	42	0	Sampdoria
4	FW	Ivan Perišić	2 February 1989 (aged 29)	65	17	Inter Milan
5	DF	Vedran Ćorluka	5 February 1986 (aged 32)	98	4	Lokomotiv Moscow
6	DF	Dejan Lovren	5 July 1989 (aged 28)	38	2	Liverpool
7	MF	Ivan Rakitić	10 March 1988 (aged 30)	91	14	Barcelona
8	MF	Mateo Kovačić	6 May 1994 (aged 24)	40	1	Real Madrid
9	FW	Andrej Kramarić	19 June 1991 (aged 26)	30	8	1899 Hoffenheim
10	MF	Luka Modrić (captain)	9 September 1985 (aged 32)	105	12	Real Madrid
11	MF	Marcelo Brozović	16 November 1992 (aged 25)	34	6	Inter Milan
12	GK	Lovre Kalinić	3 April 1990 (aged 28)	10	0	Gent
13	DF	Tin Jedvaj	28 November 1995 (aged 22)	11	0	Bayer Leverkusen
14	MF	Filip Bradarić	11 January 1992 (aged 26)	4	0	Rijeka
15	DF	Duje Ćaleta-Car	17 September 1996 (aged 21)	1	0	Red Bull Salzburg
16	FW	Nikola Kalinić	5 January 1988 (aged 30)	41	15	Milan
17	FW	Mario Mandžukić	21 May 1986 (aged 32)	82	30	Juventus
18	FW	Ante Rebić	21 September 1993 (aged 24)	15	1	Eintracht Frankfurt
19	MF	Milan Badelj	25 February 1989 (aged 29)	37	1	Fiorentina
20	FW	Marko Pjaca	6 May 1995 (aged 23)	16	1	Schalke 04
21	DF	Domagoj Vida	29 April 1989 (aged 29)	58	2	Beşiktaş
22	DF	Josip Pivarić	30 January 1989 (aged 29)	19	0	Dynamo Kyiv
23	GK	Danijel Subašić	27 October 1984 (aged 33)	37	0	Monaco

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Nigeria

Coach: Gernot Rohr

No.	Pos.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Caps	Goals	Club
1	GK	Ikechukwu Ezenwa	16 October 1988 (aged 29)	24	0	Enyimba
2	DF	Brian Idowu	18 May 1992 (aged 26)	5	1	Amkar Perm
3	DF	Elderson Echiéjilé	20 January 1988 (aged 30)	62	3	Cercle Brugge
4	MF	Wilfred Ndidi	16 December 1996 (aged 21)	17	0	Leicester City
5	DF	William Troost-Ekong	1 September 1993 (aged 24)	22	1	Bursaspor
6	DF	Leon Balogun	28 June 1988 (aged 29)	19	0	Mainz 05
7	FW	Ahmed Musa	14 October 1992 (aged 25)	72	13	CSKA Moscow
8	MF	Oghenekaro Etebo	9 November 1995 (aged 22)	14	1	Las Palmas
9	FW	Odion Ighalo	16 June 1989 (aged 28)	19	4	Changchun Yatai
10	MF	John Obi Mikel (captain)	22 April 1987 (aged 31)	85	6	Tianjin TEDA
11	FW	Victor Moses	12 December 1990 (aged 27)	34	11	Chelsea
12	DF	Shehu Abdullahi	12 March 1993 (aged 25)	25	0	Bursaspor
13	FW	Simeon Nwankwo	7 May 1992 (aged 26)	2	0	Crotone
14	FW	Kelechi Iheanacho	10 March 1996 (aged 22)	18	8	Leicester City
15	MF	Joel Obi	22 May 1991 (aged 27)	17	0	Torino
16	GK	Daniel Akpeyi	8 March 1986 (aged 32)	7	0	Chippa United
17	MF	Ogenyi Onazi	25 December 1992 (aged 25)	52	1	Trabzonspor
18	FW	Alex Iwobi	3 May 1996 (aged 22)	19	5	Arsenal
19	MF	John Ogu	20 April 1988 (aged 30)	20	2	Hapoel Be'er Sheva
20	DF	Chidozie Awaziem	1 January 1997 (aged 21)	4	0	Nantes
21	DF	Tyronne Ebuehi	16 December 1995 (aged 22)	7	0	ADO Den Haag
22	DF	Kenneth Omeruo	17 October 1993 (aged 24)	39	0	Kasımpaşa
23	GK	Francis Uzoho	28 October 1998 (aged 19)	6	0	Deportivo La Coruña

[TBODY] [/TBODY]
[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Nigeria always has players and this seems to be no exception, but they play practically nothing like I would want them to.

Click to read more...

 

[Savant]

Croatia coach reveals starting XI for Super Eagles game - Viral World News, Nigerian News, Politics, Gossip, Sports, Business, Entertainment And International Politics

 

[robertmac43]

Aggressively rooting for Iwobi in this one. Make us Gooners proud!

 

[S E P H]

Besides the Spain and Portugal game, this is by far the most intriguing. Both have skill, but I want to see how Croatia's technical ability counters Nigeria's pace and strength.

Or perhaps I need a level-head and need to realise that this is an African team in a international competition, so they're going to flop hard. But then you have Croatia who tend to not show up either (and Lovren).

 

[booyakasha]

Besides the Spain and Portugal game, this is by far the most intriguing. Both have skill, but I want to see how Croatia's technical ability counters Nigeria's pace and strength.

Or perhaps I need a level-head and need to realise that this is an African team in a international competition, so they're going to flop hard. But then you have Croatia who tend to not show up either (and Lovren).

WTF you say?????

Idemo Hrvatska!!!

 

[Live in the Now]

Lol Mandzukic is starting.

 

[Panteras]

wow Uzoho is starting for Nigeria. Gotta pull for my Deportivo la Coruña boy! Let's go NIGERIA!!!

 

[robertmac43]

1 Brighton boy and an Arsenal boy....got to love it

 

[HajdukSplit]

At least no Corluka but lineup is very offensive with no DMC

 

[koyvoo]

Awe crap. You guys got the Argentina-Iceland thread locked. Lol.

 

[Moncherry]

Croatia needs to quit the bullshit and finally advance. Not making it out of the group stage since their '98 run is a little ridiculous.

 

[cgf]

Lol Mandzukic is starting.

Well that settles it, picking Nigeria in this one...and not only cause it would give me a good reason to text that nigerian girl again when I get back to chicago...

 

[cgf]

At least no Corluka but lineup is very offensive with no DMC

I mean, who in that squad is actually a defensive midfielder? Even Badelj, the only true 6 in the squad, is more of a playmaker than defensive anchor.

Mandzo starting is a much bigger problem.

 

[robertmac43]

Is anyone watching from Canada on the TSN feed? This opening Croatia video is odd to say the least...

 

[IamNotADancer]

Tough match up here.

I think Croatia will take this one though 2-1.

Nigeria probably has the physical edge but Croatia will pull this one out.

 

[Live in the Now]

It's time for Ndidi to earn that move to a big club. I keep forgetting he's Nigerian.

Their keeper is supposedly not good though.

 

[cgf]

Croatia would look so much better if they went all cgf with their starting 11...

Kramaric - Rebic*
Perisic - Rakitic - Modric - Vrsaljko
Badelj
Vida/Jedvaj - Lovren - Caleta Car

*Kalinic/Pjaca​

 

[robertmac43]

Why is Brozovic on the bench? I didn't see him much this past season but I thought he would be a shoe in to start

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Brozovic ended his season with Inter very well.

I find it rather weird that Croatia would only start two of the large quantity of great CM's they have. Just bench Mandzukic and play Kramaric up top instead.

 

[Panteras]

Musa on the bench, very interesting

 

[Live in the Now]

I hate Fox's presentation massively. The joke commentator for the last game is one thing, I thought he was hilarious. Hiring guys that ESPN had doing football coverage 16 years ago during a World Cup in the middle of the night? Not okay.

 

[robertmac43]

Musa on the bench, very interesting

Where he belongs...for now, they will likely unleash his pace later on in the game

 

[cgf]

I hate Fox's presentation massively. The joke commentator for the last game is one thing, I thought he was hilarious. Hiring guys that ESPN had doing football coverage 16 years ago during a World Cup in the middle of the night? Not okay.

I've been watching BBC coverage, but Bein USA is where it's at

 

[robertmac43]

Give Iwobi the ball and get out of the way

 

[Panteras]

Where he belongs...for now, they will likely unleash his pace later on in the game

Haven't followed him I must admit, so I'll take your word for it. He's still relatively young.

Anyway, liking how Nigeria is controlling the ball.