Croatia quartet of star midfielders provides hope of escaping group
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With just five points from their last seven World Cup matches, Croatia will be hoping for a turn of form in Russia.
Ian Darke leads the ESPN panel in predicting the 2018 World Cup winner with names of Germany, Brazil, France and England among the list.
The ESPN FC crew feel Group D which contains Argentina, Iceland, Croatia and Nigeria could prove to be the most exciting group of them all.
The 2018 World Cup is just over a month away, and all 32 teams are preparing in earnest for their shot at the trophy in Russia. ESPN FC is previewing every team ahead of the opening game on June 14. Find all 32 teams here.
Who they are
Captain: Luka Modric
Manager: Zlatko Dalic
Nickname: Vatreni (The Blazers)
FIFA rank (as of April 12, 2018):18
How they qualified
Croatia had significant problems in UEFA Group I, and managed to secure second place behind Iceland on the last matchday...