Kovacic at the heart of Croatia's bid for more glory

Mateo Kovacic is going into his third World Cup finals. He has been a key player for Chelsea and Croatia. KovACIC has four Champions League winners' medals from his time at Real Madrid. The 28-year-old was an unused substitute in the 2014 World cup semi-finals and the final. Now he has established himself as a regular in Croatia's team. He is likely to form part of a midfield with Marcelo Brozovic and Luka Modric. Modic thinks Kovachic could be his heir. Croatia finished as the 2018 World Championship runners-up.

Croatia qualified for Qatar 2022 World Cup by winning seven games and conceding only four goals. They beat Russia 1-0 in their final group game last November. Croatia also won four of their six games in the Nations League.