Team profile: Croatia

You might as well join all the scouts of Europe’s top clubs and keep an eye on Mario Mandzukic — the Bayern Munich hitman is unsettled, and a hot commodity among English and Spanish teams seeking a proven goal scorer. And you won’t help but notice Real Madrid’s Luka Modric, the playmaker and orchestrator who remains one of Europe’s best No. 10s. Of course, if you’re thinking like a scout, you may also want to watch Mateo Kovacic, the 20-year-old central midfielder already at Inter Milan but attracting suitors from Europe’s top-tier clubs.

Croatia’s first World Cup was 1998 — the first in which it was allowed to compete after the breakup of Yugoslavia. It shocked the football world by getting all the way to the semifinals in France, and taking home third-place medals — and the golden boot, won by striker Davor Suker for scoring the most goals at the tournament. Croatia’s emphatic 3–0 victory over Germany in the quarterfinal marked the arrival of a new European soccer power.

Given the likelihood that Brazil will top Group A, the question is whether Croatia can edge out Mexico for the second spot. Why not? This is a talented side with plenty of firepower up front (besides Mandzukic, the likes of Ivica Olic and Nikica Jelavic offer plenty of goal threat), and a midfield orchestrated by Modric with support from Kovacic and Ivan Rakitic and a rugged, experienced defense suggests a formidable opponent that could spoil the plans of any team in the group.

Croatia has never quite matched the heights of ’98, and while it continues to produce talented players, it hasn't looked troubling at an international level for years. Its first World Cup in the southern hemisphere will prove overwhelming, and it’ll be headed home after the group stage.

1. Croatia’s long-serving striker Eduardo Dos Santos is actually Brazilian — born and raised in Rio, he moved to Croatia as a professional player at age 16. He may yet have the opportunity to spoil his native country’s World Cup party when Brazil faces Croatia in the opening game on June 12.

2. The team lost one of its stalwart defenders for the World Cup when Josip Simunic was banned by FIFA for 10 games after leading the crowd in chanting a slogan of Croatia’s Nazi-aligned wartime Ustasa regime following a victory over Iceland in a qualifier. The Australian-born Simunic’s ban begins with the match against Brazil.