FIFA 20: Croatia player ratings predictions – Modric

The Euros will take place next summer, but how will World Cup runners-up Croatia line-up?

by George Howson Sep 16, 2019

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Despite not making it to the UEFA Nations League finals, Croatia will enter the 2020 European Championships as one of the favourites to win the tournament. That is thanks to the Balkan state’s incredible performance at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, as the Vatreni made it all the way to the final of the competition.

Qualifying hasn’t gone exactly to plan so far, though, currently sitting in third place in the group thanks to a loss against Hungary. However, with some extremely talented players in their national pool, Croatia will more than likely make it to Euro 2020, and nobody will look forward to playing them.

Zlatko Dalić remains at the helm for Croatia, and he’s likely to continue using the 4-2-3-1 formation that has got his country so much success in the past.

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Dominik Livakovic (OVR 72 – 74)

Position: GK

Age: 24

Club: Dinamo Zagreb

Lovre Kalinic was Dalic’s ‘keeper of choice, but after the Aston Villa goalkeeper has been usurped by Tom Heaton between the sticks, Dominik Livakovic is more likely feature regularly.

Livakovic only has 4 caps to his name, but a decent game against Wales in the previous European qualifier will do his chances no harm.

Sime Vrsaljko (OVR 81 – 80)

Position: RB

Age: 27

Club: Atletico Madrid

Jedvaj and Josip Brekalo have both deputised at right back while Šime Vrsaljko has been injured, but the Atletico Madrid defender will be first choice once he’s fit again.

Vrsaljko spent the second half of his loan at Inter Milan on the injury table, and he’ll likely be given a downgrade as a result, whether it’s right or not. His pace and physical stats will take the biggest hits as he drops to 80 overall.

Domagoj Vida (OVR 80 – 79)

Position: CB, RB

Age: 30

Club: Besiktas

Domagoj Vida completed his first full season for Besiktas and despite scoring 4 goals for the Turkish giants, I believe the centre back will be in for a slight downgrade.

Besiktas’ goals conceded increased from 30 to 46 in the league over the last two seasons, plus, Vida is 30 now, so his pace will take a hit. However, his shooting will go up, thanks to his goal contributions.

Dejan Lovren (OVR 81 – 81)

Position: CB

Age: 30

Club: Liverpool

Liverpool had an amazing season last campaign, but Dejan Lovren didn’t play much of a role in the Reds’ success. He played just 13 times in the Premier League, down 16 from 29 the previous campaign, but I don’t believe he’s going to be downgraded.

He’s 30 now, so his pace will drop a few points, but I don’t see him going below 81 overall.

Tin Jedvaj (OVR 76- 76)

Position: CB, LB, RB

Age: 23

Club: Bayer Leverkusen

Borna Barisic plays for Rangers and didn’t have an ultimate team card in FIFA 19, so for the purposes of this article, we’re putting Tin Jedvaj at left back.

The Bayer Leverkusen defender will spend this season on loan at Augsburg after struggling to establish himself in the Leverkusen side. I think he’ll remain 76 overall, as at 23, he still has potential to improve.

Luka Modric (OVR 91 – 91)

Position: CM

Age: 33

Club: Real Madrid

Luka Modric will unsurprisingly remain the highest-rated Croatian player in FIFA 20. The national team’s captain will soon pass Darijo Srna as the most-capped player of the country’s history and it’s more than deserved.

Although Real Madrid struggled last season, Modric was quality, producing 3 goals and 6 assists in La Liga, playing almost every game. I think his stats will go up slightly, but remain a 91 overall.

Ivan Rakitić (OVR 87 – 88)

Position: CM, CDM

Age: 31

Club: Barcelona

Another very highly rated midfielder, Ivan Rakitic will be Modric’s partner in the middle of the park. Rakitic remained on 5 assists for Barcelona in La Liga last season, but scored 2 more goals than the previous campaign.

Coupled with another league title for Barca, I think this will earn Rakitic an upgrade to a 88 overall for FIFA 20.

Josip Brekalo (OVR 75 – 78)

Position: RM, LM, RW, LW

Age: 21

Club: Wolfsburg

Perisic and Kramaric both sometimes play on the right wing, but they’ll be placed in different positions for this squad. Brekalo’s naturally a left midfielder, but is usually utilised on the right for the national side, thanks to how impressive Perisic is.

He played 25 games for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga last campaign, and the youngster should be due an upgrade for FIFA 20, partly because of his age.

Mateo Kovacic (OVR 83 – 83)

Position: CM

Age: 25

Club: Chelsea

Mateo Kovacic usually plays further forward for country than club, so he’ll most likely be Dalic’s first choice central attacking midfielder. Kovacic enjoyed a decent first season for Chelsea last campaign, and should have a larger part to play in the team after their transfer ban was imposed.

I believe he’ll maintain his 83 overall from the start of FIFA 19, despite dropping to 82 by the end of the game’s life cycle.

Ivan Perisic (OVR 86 – 86)

Position: LM

Age: 30

Club: Bayern Munich

Ivan Perisic had another great season for Inter Milan campaign, although his numbers did drop from the previous season. However, despite this, I think he’ll maintain his 86 overall rating, partly due to his move on loan to Bayern Munich.

He’s 30, so his pace will drop a few points, but the other stats should remain fairly static.

Andrej Kramaric (OVR 82 – 84)

Position: ST, CAM, LW

Age: 28

Club: Hoffenheim

Andrej Kramaric was once again the standout player in the Hoffenheim squad. The striker netted 17 times in the Bundesliga last season, his highest total ever. He was up to 83 overall by the end of FIFA 19, and I believe he’ll be up to at least an 84 overall for the start of FIFA 20 as a result.

On the bench

Lovre Kalinic (OVR 77 – 75) has been usurped as Aston Villa’s number 1 goalkeeper, playing second-fiddle to Tom Heaton, so he’ll drop a few overall points from FIFA 19.

Josip Pivaric (OVR 75 – 74) is currently out of the Croatia squad after his injury, but the Dynamo Kiev left-back will maintain his place on the subs bench, albeit with a downgrade. Matej Mitrovic (OVR 73 – 73) will likely maintain his 73 overall rating at centre-back.

Marcelo Brozovic (OVR 80 – 80) will likely maintain his 80 overall rating for FIFA 20. Milan Badelj (OVR 80 – 80) is another solid CDM option for the squad after another good season, this time on-loan at Lazio.

Nikola Vlasic (OVR 75 – 77) is the best winger on the bench after a breakout season at CSKA Moscow, he’s going to start FIFA 20 with at least a 77 overall.

Ante Rebic (OVR 79 – 80) had another good season for Frankfurt and will get a slight boost to his stats for the release of FIFA 20.

Croatia Predicted Line-up

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Written by George Howson

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