EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS - 2014/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS 8 KM Stadionu - Baku Thursday 3 September 2015 18.00CET (21.00 local time) Azerbaijan Group H - Matchday -6 Croatia Last updated 12/07/2021 15:44CET Official Partners of UEFA EURO 2020 Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Squad list 4 Head coach 6 Match officials 7 Competition facts 8 Match-by-match lineups 9 Team facts 11 Legend 13 1 Azerbaijan - Croatia Thursday 3 September 2015 - 18.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit 8 KM Stadionu, Baku Previous meetings Head to Head 2016 UEFA European Championship Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Kramarić 11, Perišić 34, 45, Brozović 13/10/2014 QR (GS) Croatia - Azerbaijan 6-0 Osijek 45+1, Modrić 57 (P), Sadygov 61 (og) Final Qualifying Total tournament Home Away Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L Pld W D L GF GA EURO Azerbaijan - - - - 1 0 0 1 - - - - 1 0 0 1 0 6 Croatia 1 1 0 0 - - - - - - - - 1 1 0 0 6 0 FIFA* Azerbaijan - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Croatia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Friendlies Azerbaijan - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Croatia - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Total Azerbaijan - - - - 1 0 0 1 - - - - 1 0 0 1 0 6 Croatia 1 1 0 0 - - - - - - - - 1 1 0 0 6 0 * FIFA World Cup/FIFA Confederations Cup 2 Azerbaijan - Croatia Thursday 3 September 2015 - 18.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit 8 KM Stadionu, Baku Match background Azerbaijan will look for a significant improvement on their last UEFA EURO 2016 Group H meeting with Croatia as Robert Prosinečki takes on his home side. Previous meetings • In the nations' first competitive meeting, Croatia beat Azerbaijan 6-0 in Osijek on 13 October 2014, Andrej Kramarić (11), Ivan Perišić (34 45), Marcelo Brozović (45+1) and Luka Modrić (57p) scoring before a Rashad F Sadygov own goal completed the visitors' misery. • The margin of victory was one goal shy of Croatia's biggest win of all time – 7-0 against Andorra in 2006; their 4-0 lead at the break is the most substantial half-time lead in UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying to date. • Victory made it three from three in Group H without conceding for Croatia: their best ever start to a UEFA European Championship qualifying campaign. Disciplinary • Azerbaijan midfielder Dmitri Nazarov is a yellow card away from a one-game ban. • Mateo Kovačić, Mario Mandžukić and Ivica Olić are all a booking away from a suspension. Form guide • Azerbaijan are unbeaten in two Group H games under new coach Prosinečki, in which they have not conceded: a 2- 0 win against Malta and an impressive 0-0 draw in Norway. • Croatia are unbeaten in eight qualifying competition games (W5 D3) since a 2-0 loss in Scotland in FIFA World Cup qualifying in October 2013. Trivia and links • Croatia's Ivan Rakitić is one of four players topping the rankings with four UEFA EURO 2016 assists after six games along with, Poland's Arkadiusz Milik, Bosnia and Herzegovina's Senad Lulić and Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri. • Azerbaijan forward Ruslan Qurbanov played club football in Croatia with HNK Hajduk Split in 2015, on loan from Neftçi PFK; Croatia reserve goalkeeper Lovre Kalinić was among his team-mates. • Azerbaijan coach Prosinečki made 49 appearances for Croatia, scoring ten times. He and current Croatia boss Niko Kovač featured together for the national team from 1996-2002 – notably at the 2002 FIFA World Cup finals. Both coaches were born in Germany. 3 Azerbaijan - Croatia Thursday 3 September 2015 - 18.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit 8 KM Stadionu, Baku Squad list Azerbaijan Current season Overall Qual. FT Team No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Kamran Agayev 09/02/1986 29 Karşıyaka - 5 0 0 0 53 - - Agil Mammadov 01/05/1989 26 Neftçi - 0 0 0 0 - - - Salahat Agayev 04/01/1991 24 İnter Bakı - 1 0 0 0 6 - Defenders - Rashad F. Sadygov 16/06/1982 33 Qarabağ - 6 0 0 0 94 4 - Arif Dashdemirov 10/02/1987 28 Qäbälä - 2 0 0 0 4 - Metalurh - Pavlo Pashayev 04/01/1988 27 - 0 0 0 0 2 - Zaporizhya Xäzär - Ruslan Abışov 10/10/1987 27 - 2 0 0 0 45 4 Länkäran - Gara Garayev 12/10/1992 22 Qarabağ - 6 0 0 0 16 - - Tarlan Guliyev 19/04/1992 23 Käpäz - 2 0 0 0 2 - - Badavi Hüseynov 11/07/1991 24 Qarabağ - 5 0 0 0 17 - - Magomed Mirzabekov 16/11/1990 24 Qäbälä - 0 0 0 0 1 - Midfielders - Rashad A. Sadygov 08/10/1983 31 Qäbälä - 0 0 0 0 21 - Xäzär - Rahid Amirguliyev 01/09/1989 26 - 5 0 0 0 43 1 Länkäran - Araz Abdullayev 18/04/1992 23 Neftçi - 4 0 0 0 15 - - Afran Ismayilov 08/10/1988 26 Qarabağ - 2 0 0 0 21 1 - Javid Taghiyev 22/07/1992 23 Qarabağ - 0 0 0 0 - - - Dmitri Nazarov 04/04/1990 25 Karlsruhe * 6 2 0 0 10 3 - Eddy 02/08/1992 23 Eibar - 1 0 0 0 1 - Forwards - Magomed Kurbanov 11/04/1992 23 Neftçi - 1 0 0 0 2 - Xäzär - Vüqar Nadirov 15/06/1987 28 - 4 0 0 0 57 4 Länkäran - Ruslan Gurbanov 12/09/1991 23 Neftçi - 2 0 0 0 3 - - Rauf Aliyev 12/02/1989 26 İnter Bakı - 4 0 0 0 41 7 Xäzär - Elnur Jafarov 28/03/1997 18 - 0 0 0 0 - - Länkäran Coach - Robert Prosinečki 12/01/1969 46 - 3 0 0 0 4 - 4 Azerbaijan - Croatia Thursday 3 September 2015 - 18.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit 8 KM Stadionu, Baku Croatia Current season Overall Qual. FT Team No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Danijel Subašić 27/10/1984 30 Monaco - 6 0 0 0 14 - - Lovre Kalinić 03/04/1990 25 Hajduk Split - 0 0 0 0 1 - - Ivan Vargić 15/03/1987 28 Rijeka - 0 0 0 0 1 - Defenders Lokomotiv - Vedran Ćorluka 05/02/1986 29 - 5 0 0 0 80 4 Moskva - Dejan Lovren 05/07/1989 26 Liverpool - 1 0 0 0 29 2 - Domagoj Vida 29/04/1989 26 Dynamo Kyiv - 5 0 0 0 29 1 - Marin Leovac 07/08/1988 27 PAOK - 1 0 0 0 3 - - Šime Vrsaljko 10/01/1992 23 Sassuolo - 1 0 0 0 12 - - Marko Lešković 27/04/1991 24 Rijeka - 0 0 0 0 2 - Midfielders - Danijel Pranjić 02/12/1981 33 Panathinaikos - 5 1 0 0 56 1 - Luka Modrić 09/09/1985 29 Real Madrid - 5 2 0 0 83 10 - Milan Badelj 25/02/1989 26 Fiorentina - 2 0 0 0 13 1 - Ivan Rakitić 10/03/1988 27 Barcelona - 6 0 0 0 70 9 - Ivan Perišić 02/02/1989 26 Internazionale - 5 4 0 0 38 9 - Mateo Kovačić 06/05/1994 21 Real Madrid * 5 0 0 0 21 1 - Marcelo Brozović 16/11/1992 22 Internazionale - 6 2 0 0 10 2 - Mijo Caktaš 08/05/1992 23 Hajduk Split - 0 0 0 0 - - Forwards - Ivica Olić 14/09/1979 35 Hamburg * 6 1 0 0 101 20 - Nikola Kalinić 05/01/1988 27 Fiorentina - 0 0 0 0 21 6 - Mario Mandžukić 21/05/1986 29 Juventus * 6 1 0 0 59 19 - Andrej Kramarić 19/06/1991 24 Leicester - 4 2 0 0 6 3 - Ante Rebić 21/09/1993 21 Fiorentina - 1 0 0 0 7 1 Dinamo - Marko Pjaca 06/05/1995 20 - 0 0 0 0 2 - Zagreb Coach - Niko Kovač 15/10/1971 43 - 7 0 0 0 18 - 5 Azerbaijan - Croatia Thursday 3 September 2015 - 18.00CET (21.00 local time) Match press kit 8 KM Stadionu, Baku Head coach Robert Prosinečki Date of birth: 12 January 1969 Nationality: Croatian Playing career: GNK Dinamo Zagreb (twice), FK Crvena zvezda, Real Madrid CF, Real Oviedo, FC Barcelona, Sevilla FC, NK Hrvatski Dragovoljac, R. Standard de Liège, Portsmouth FC, NK Olimpija Ljubljana, NK Zagreb Coaching career: Croatia (assistant), FK Crvena zvezda, Kayserispor • Born in Germany, Prosinečki moved back to Croatia with his family in 1979, and developed as a midfielder with stunning technique at Dinamo Zagreb. • He moved on to Crvena zvezda and helped the Belgrade side to win the 1990/91 European Champion Clubs' Cup, scoring the opening penalty in their shoot-out success against Olympique de Marseille. • After a high-profile transfer, injuries hampered his time at Real Madrid, though he was to stay in Spain for some time, representing Oviedo, Barcelona and Sevilla before further adventures in Belgium, England and Slovenia. • Capped 15 times for Yugoslavia and 49 times for Croatia, his goals in the 1990 and 1998 tournaments made him the only player to score in FIFA World Cup finals competitons for two different nations. • Having assisted former Croatia team-mate Slaven Bilić with the national team, Prosinečki coached Crvena zvezda to Serbian Cup success in 2011/12 and led Turkish side Kayserispor from 2012–13. Hired as Azerbaijan coach in December 2014. Niko Kovač Date of birth: 15 October 1971 Nationality: Croatian Playing career: FC Hertha 03 Berlin-Zehlendorf, Hertha BSC Berlin, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, Hamburger SV, FC Bayern München, FC Salzburg Coaching career: Croatia Under-21, Croatia • Born in Berlin to parents hailing from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kovač began his career at local side Hertha Zehlendorf before earning a move to second-tier Hertha Berlin in 1991. A defensive midfielder, he then joined Leverkusen, playing alongside younger brother Robert for the first time. • Signed for Hamburg in 1999 but was reunited with Robert when the pair were snapped up by Bayern two years later.