Preview: Croatia vs Slovenia - prediction, team news, lineups

Finishing preparations for a landmark World Cup campaign, Croatia will host neighbours Slovenia in their last pre-finals friendly on Sunday.

Marking 30 years since their major tournament debut, the consistent overachievers are bound for North America, so they will want to post a morale-raising win.

Match preview

With two podium finishes at the past couple of World Cups - and one near miss in the UEFA Nations League - Croatia have come close to some elusive silverware over the past decade.

Yet time may be running out, as some are describing this summer's global finals as the 'last dance' for head coach Zlatko Dalic and inspirational skipper Luka Modric.

Appointed back in 2017, Dalic oversaw an excellent qualification series for the upcoming World Cup, as his experienced squad only dropped two points across eight games.

As a reward, Croatia were then drawn to meet familiar foes England in Group L, alongside fellow contenders Panama and Ghana.

After booking their ticket, the Vatreni then beat Colombia and lost to Brazil in a pair of March friendlies, before kicking off their pre-tournament camp by losing 2-0 to Belgium.

Though Dalic named a strong lineup for Tuesday's warm-up in Rijeka, his side still suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since 2023, so he will want to avoid another setback on Sunday.

Before crossing the border, Slovenia have a mixed recent record against their Croatian counterparts: in three prior meetings this decade, either side won at home in qualifying for Qatar 2022, a few months before they recorded a 1-1 friendly draw.

Unlike their old rivals, the Slovenians are not bound for this year's World Cup, having unexpectedly failed to win a single qualifier and finished third in Group B.

A modest record of four points and just three goals effectively ended Matjaz Kek's seven-year second spell in charge, which had featured a memorable journey to the knockout phase of Euro 2024.

In March, new boss Bostjan Cesar began with two away friendlies: a 1-0 loss to Hungary, followed by a 3-2 victory over Montenegro in Podgorica.

With one eye on an upcoming Nations League campaign, Slovenia then kicked off their summer schedule by drawing 1-1 at home to Cyprus on Thursday evening, with only a second-half equaliser sparing their blushes.

Now, after failing to beat visitors ranked 68 places below them by FIFA, they face a much tougher test when visiting Varazdin.

Croatia International Friendlies form:

W L L

Croatia form (all competitions):

W W W W L L

Slovenia International Friendlies form:

L W D

Slovenia form (all competitions):

D L D L W D

Team News

In addition to Modric recovering from a serious facial injury, Manchester City pair Josko Gvardiol (shin) and Matteo Kovacic (heel) were ultimately cleared to join Croatia's squad after significant layoffs.

Gvardiol should feature in the hosts' back three; set to claim his 198th cap, 40-year-old Modric pulls the strings in midfield, with 37-year-old vice-captain Ivan Perisic still shuttling along the left flank.

As ever, Dalic must deal with a dearth of strong options up front: Petar Musa started against Belgium, but Andrej Kramaric, Ante Budimir and Igor Matanovic are also in contention.

Slovenia also have a striker problem, as star man Benjamin Sesko - who also skipped their March internationals - must miss out again due to a shin injury.

In his absence, either Zan Vipotnik or veteran forward Andraz Sporar could lead the line; the former is favourite, having notched 25 goals for Swansea City last season.

Experienced midfielders Timi Max Elsnik and Jon Gorenc Stankovic have not been called up, but Cesar will still rely on key defender Jaka Bijol and goalkeeper-captain Jan Oblak.

Croatia possible starting lineup:

Livakovic; Sutalo, Vuskovic, Gvardiol; Stanisic, Modric, Kovacic, Perisic; Vlasic, Baturina; Budimir

Slovenia possible starting lineup:

Oblak; Brekalo, Bijol, Drkusic; Karnicnik, Lovric, Gnezda Cerin, Seslar, Janza; Sturm, Vipotnik