Croatia coach Slaven Bilic has named his final 23-man squad for the Euro 2012 European Football Championship, reads a statement posted on UEFA’s official Web site.
Goalkeeper Goran Blazevic, defender Sime Vrsljako, striker Nikola Kalinic, who plays for Ukraine’s Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, and Lyonnais defender Dejan Lovren were all omitted as Bilic made the final cuts to his Croatia squad for Euro 2012.
"I told four players that they can go home, but I also told them to be ready to come if there are any injuries," Bilic said.
"Lovren’s medical tests were not good, so without him we were down to three central defenders, and I decided to keep Jurica Buljat in the team as a result," he added.
Croatia’s squad for Euro 2012 includes four footballers plating in the Ukrainian Premier League – Darijo Srna and Eduardo from FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Ognjen Vukojevic from FC Dynamo Kyiv and Ivan Strinic from FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk.
Croatia squad:
Goalkeepers: Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov), Ivan Kelava (Dinamo Zagreb), Danijel Subasic (Monaco).
Defenders: Jurica Buljat (Maccabi Haifa), Vedran Corluka (Tottenham), Danijel Pranjic (Bayern), Gordon Schildenfeld (Eintracht Frankfurt), Josip Simunic(Dinamo Zagreb), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Ivan Strinic(Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), Domagoj Vida (Dinamo Zagreb).
Midfielders: Milan Badelj (Dinamo Zagreb), Tomislav Dujmovic (Dinamo Moskva), Ivo Ilicevic (Hamburger), Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham), Luka Modric (Tottenham), Ivan Perisic (Borussia Dortmund), Ivan Rakitic (Sevilla), Ognjen Vukojevic (Dynamo Kyiv).
Forwards: Eduardo (Shakhtar Donetsk), Nikica Jelavic (Everton), Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg), Ivica Olic (Wolfsburg).
