EUROPEAN QUALIFIERS - 2014/16 SEASON MATCH PRESS KITS Stadion Poljud - Split Friday 12 June 2015 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Croatia Group H - Matchday -7 Italy Last updated 12/07/2021 17:36CET Official Partners of UEFA EURO 2020 Previous meetings 2 Match background 3 Squad list 4 Head coach 6 Match officials 7 Competition facts 9 Match-by-match lineups 10 Team facts 12 Legend 14 1 Croatia - Italy Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Stadion Poljud, Split Previous meetings Head to Head 2016 UEFA European Championship Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Candreva 11; Perišić 16/11/2014 QR (GS) Italy - Croatia 1-1 Milan 15 UEFA EURO 2012 Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Pirlo 39; Mandžukić 14/06/2012 GS-FT Italy - Croatia 1-1 Poznan 72 FIFA World Cup Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Vieri 55; Olić 73, 08/06/2002 GS-FT Italy - Croatia 1-2 Ibaraki Rapaić 76 EURO '96 Stage Date Match Result Venue Goalscorers reached Šuker 48 (P); Albertini 08/10/1995 PR (GS) Croatia - Italy 1-1 Split 29 D. Baggio 89; Šuker 16/11/1994 PR (GS) Italy - Croatia 1-2 Palermo 32, 57 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 Croatia 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 4 1 3 0 5 4 Italy 2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 4 0 3 1 4 5 FIFA* Croatia - - - - - - - - 1 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 2 1 Italy - - - - - - - - 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 1 2 Friendlies Croatia - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 1 1 1 2 4 Italy - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 1 1 1 4 2 Total Croatia 1 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 8 3 4 1 9 9 Italy 2 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 1 8 1 4 3 9 9 * FIFA World Cup/FIFA Confederations Cup 2 Croatia - Italy Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Stadion Poljud, Split Match background Croatia can extend their two-point advantage over Italy at the top of UEFA EURO 2016 qualifying Group H when the sides meet in Split. Previous meetings • Croatia's eight games against Italy have ended W3 D4 L1 (W0 D2 L0 in Croatia), with two of those matches at final tournaments: the 1-1 draw at UEFA EURO 2012 and a 2-1 win for Croatia at the 2002 FIFA World Cup in Ibaraki, Japan. • The sides drew 1-1 in Milan in their first Group H encounter on 16 November, Ivan Perišić (15) cancelling out Antonio Candreva's opener (11). Italy are now without a victory in seven games against Croatia since a 4-0 success in their first encounter, on 5 April 1942. Form guide • Both teams are unbeaten in Group H: Croatia's record is W4 D1, while Italy's is W3 D2. • Croatia have as yet recorded only one victory at the Stadion Poljud in Split – 2-1 against Georgia in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying; their previous nine games at the arena ended D6 L3 – one of those draws a 1-1 result against Italy in EURO '96 qualifying. • Italy are unbeaten in eight games since exiting the 2014 World Cup at the group stage (W5 D3); in the same period, Croatia's record is W6 D1 L1, their lone reverse a 2-1 home defeat by Argentina in a friendly last November. • Italy have not lost in 45 UEFA European Championship and World Cup qualifiers (W33 D12) since losing 3-1 in France in UEFA EURO 2008 qualifying on 6 September 2006. Trivia and links • A number of Croatia players are Serie A regulars, meaning club-mates could meet: - Marcelo Brozović (Croatia) played on loan this season at FC Internazionale Milano with Andrea Ranocchia (Italy). - Šime Vrsaljko (Croatia), Francesco Acerbi and Nicola Sansone (Italy) play together at US Sassuolo Calcio. - Milan Badelj (Croatia) and Manuel Pasqual (Italy) play together at ACF Fiorentina. • Croatia assistant coach Robert Kovač – brother of coach Niko Kovač – played in Italy with Juventus from 2005 to 2007; Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon was a team-mate in Turin. • Italy have had the better of their 14 meetings with Croatia in UEFA's youth and age-limit competitions: W7 D5 L2, though Croatia edged the most recent last month, sealing a spot at the FIFA U-17 World Cup via a play-off. • Results between Serie A teams and Croatian outfits in UEFA club competitions have been less one-sided than might be expected; the Italian clubs' record is W16 D10 L5. Those do not include ten encounters in the non-UEFA-affiliated Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, in which the Italian clubs' record was W5 D4 L1. 3 Croatia - Italy Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Stadion Poljud, Split Squad list Croatia Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Danijel Subašić 27/10/1984 30 Monaco - 5 0 0 0 - Lovre Kalinić 03/04/1990 25 Hajduk Split - 0 0 0 0 - Ivan Vargić 15/03/1987 28 Rijeka - 0 0 0 0 Defenders Shakhtar - Darijo Srna 01/05/1982 33 - 5 0 0 0 Donetsk - Domagoj Vida 29/04/1989 26 Dynamo Kyiv - 4 0 0 0 - Gordon Schildenfeld 18/03/1985 30 Panathinaikos - 1 1 0 0 - Marin Leovac 07/08/1988 26 Rijeka - 0 0 0 0 - Šime Vrsaljko 10/01/1992 23 Sassuolo - 0 0 0 0 - Marko Lešković 27/04/1991 24 Rijeka - 0 0 0 0 Midfielders - Danijel Pranjić 02/12/1981 33 Panathinaikos - 4 1 0 0 - Milan Badelj 25/02/1989 26 Fiorentina - 2 0 0 0 - Ivan Rakitić 10/03/1988 27 Barcelona - 5 0 0 0 - Ivan Perišić 02/02/1989 26 Wolfsburg - 4 4 0 0 - Mato Jajalo 25/05/1988 27 Palermo - 0 0 0 0 - Mateo Kovačić 06/05/1994 21 Internazionale - 4 0 0 0 - Marcelo Brozović 16/11/1992 22 Internazionale - 5 2 0 0 Forwards - Ivica Olić 14/09/1979 35 Hamburg - 5 1 0 0 - Anas Sharbini 21/02/1987 28 Rijeka - 0 0 0 0 - Nikola Kalinić 05/01/1988 27 Dnipro - 0 0 0 0 - Mario Mandžukić 21/05/1986 29 Atlético - 5 0 0 0 - Andrej Kramarić 19/06/1991 23 Leicester - 4 2 0 0 - Ante Rebić 21/09/1993 21 Leipzig - 0 0 0 0 Dinamo - Marko Pjaca 06/05/1995 20 - 0 0 0 0 Zagreb Coach - Niko Kovač 15/10/1971 43 - 5 0 0 0 4 Croatia - Italy Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Stadion Poljud, Split Italy Current season Qual. FT No. Player DoB Age Club D Pld Gls Pld Gls Goalkeepers - Gianluigi Buffon 28/01/1978 37 Juventus - 4 0 0 0 - Salvatore Sirigu 12/01/1987 28 Paris - 1 0 0 0 - Daniele Padelli 25/10/1985 29 Torino - 0 0 0 0 Defenders - Emiliano Moretti 11/06/1981 34 Torino - 0 0 0 0 - Lorenzo De Silvestri 23/05/1988 27 Sampdoria - 0 0 0 0 - Davide Astori 07/01/1987 28 Roma - 1 0 0 0 - Matteo Darmian 02/12/1989 25 Torino * 5 0 0 0 - Manuel Pasqual 13/03/1982 33 Fiorentina - 3 0 0 0 - Andrea Ranocchia 16/02/1988 27 Internazionale - 3 0 0 0 - Leonardo Bonucci 01/05/1987 28 Juventus - 4 1 0 0 - Mattia De Sciglio 20/10/1992 22 Milan - 3 0 0 0 Midfielders - Andrea Pirlo 19/05/1979 36 Juventus - 1 0 0 0 - Antonio Candreva 28/02/1987 28 Lazio - 4 1 0 0 - Claudio Marchisio 19/01/1986 29 Juventus - 3 0 0 0 - Andrea Bertolacci 11/01/1991 24 Genoa - 1 0 0 0 - Roberto Soriano 08/02/1991 24 Sampdoria - 2 0 0 0 - Marco Parolo 25/01/1985 30 Lazio - 0 0 0 0 - Franco Vázquez 22/02/1989 26 Palermo - 0 0 0 0 Forwards - Graziano Pellè 15/07/1985 29 Southampton - 2 1 0 0 - Ciro Immobile 20/02/1990 25 Dortmund * 5 0 0 0 - Stephan El Shaarawy 27/10/1992 22 Milan - 1 0 0 0 - Nicola Sansone 10/09/1991 23 Sassuolo - 0 0 0 0 - Manolo Gabbiadini 26/11/1991 23 Napoli - 1 0 0 0 Coach - Antonio Conte 31/07/1969 45 - 5 0 0 0 5 Croatia - Italy Friday 12 June 2015 - 20.45CET (20.45 local time) Match press kit Stadion Poljud, Split Head coach 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. Won a league and cup double in 2002/03 yet struggled to tie down a starting spot and returned to Hertha in 2003, subsequently ending his playing days with Salzburg. • Collected his first Croatia cap in 1996 and featured in 1998 FIFA World Cup qualifying, only for injury to rule him out of the finals.