The Vatreni Squad for the matches against Belarus and England  September 2009
Player	Birthdate	Age	Pos	Club	App	G
Čale, Hrvoje	4 March 1985	24	D	Trabzonspor Kulübü, Turkey	2	0
Ćorluka, Vedran	5 February 1986	22	D	Tottenham Hotspur FC, England	34	0
	Vedran Ćorluka is suspended for the match against England, after being sent off against Belarus.
Drpić, Dino	26 May 1981	28	D	Karlsruher SC Mühlburg-Phönix, Germany	1	0
da Silva, Eduardo Alves	25 February 1983 born in Brazil	26	F	Arsenal FC, England	26	15
Gabrić, Drago	27 September 1986	22	M	Trabzonspor Kulübü, Turkey	0	0
	Drago Gabrić placed on the reserve list.
Jurić, Ivan	25 August 1975	33	M	Genoa CFC, Italy	5	0
Kalinić, Nikola	5 January 1988	21	F	Blackburn Rovers FC, England	3	0
	Nikola Kalinić placed on the reserve list.
Klasnić, Ivan	29 January 1980 born in West Germany	29	F	FC de Nantes, France	35	11
				Ivan Klasnić signed on a season-long deal with Bolton Wanderers FC, England, on 1 September.
Kranjčar, Niko	13 August 1984	25	M	Portsmouth FC, England	50	7
	Niko Kranjčar signed for Tottenham Hotspur FC, England, on 1 September.
Krizanac, Ivica	13 April 1979	30	D	FC Zenit Sankt-Petersburg, Russia	7	0
Leko, Jerko	9 April 1980	29	M	AS de Monaco FC, France	59	2
Mandzukić, Mario	21 May 1986	23	F	NK Dinamo Zagreb	7	1
Modrić, Luka	9 September 1985	23	M	Tottenham Hotspur FC, England	36	7
	Luka Modrić was forced to pull out of the squad on 29 August due to injury.
Olić, Ivica	14 September 1979	28	F	FC Bayern München, Germany	66	13
Petrić, Mladen	1 January 1981	28	F	Hamburger SV, Germany	34	11
Pletikosa, Stipe	8 January 1979	30	G	FC Spartak Moskva, Russia	79	0
	Stipe Pletikosa pulled out of squad on1 September due to a serious knee injury.
Pokrivač, Nikola	26 November 1985	23	M	FC Red Bull Salzburg, Austria	7	0
Pranjić, Danijel	2 December 1981	26	M	FC Bayern München, Germany	24	0
Rakitić, Ivan	10 March 1988 born in Switzerland	21	M	FC Gelsenkirchen-Schalke 04, Germany	21	7
Runje, Vedran	10 February 1976	33	G	RC de Lens, France	9	0
Sharbini, Anas	27 February 1987	22	F	HNK Hajduk Split SDD	0	0
Šimunić, Josip	18 February 1979 born in Australia	31	D	TSG 1899 Hoffenheim, Germany	73	3
Srna, Darijo	1 May 1982	27	M	FC Shakhtar Donetsk, Ukraine	67	17
Subašić, Danijel	27 October 1984	24	G	HNK Hajduk Split SDD	0	0
Vejić, Hrvoje	8 June 1977	32	D	HNK Hajduk Split SDD	5	0
Vukojević, Ognjen	20 December 1983	25	M	FC Dynamo Kyiv, Russia	15	1

Squad details correct up to and including Croatia's match against Belarus on 5 September 2009.

Diary

Monday, 24 August 2009 - Slaven Bilić named a full-strength Croatia squad for upcoming World Cup 2010 qualifiers against Belarus and England early next month.  Croatia face Belarus at home on September 5 before travelling to London for a showdown with England four days later.  Bilić's 24-man squad features several players from the English Premier League including the in-form Tottenham midfielder Luka Modrić and Brazil-born Arsenal striker Eduardo Da Silva.

The only player missing is defender Robert Kovac due to an injury. The Dinamo Zagreb veteran was not expected to make the starting line-up for the two qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. 

Sunday, 30 August 2009 - Tottenham Hotspur have confirmed that midfielder Luka Modric broke his leg during the side's 2-1 victory over Birmingham City on Saturday.  The Croatian international was forced to withdraw from the match at White Hart Lane just after half time.  Subsequent X-rays have revealed that the 23-year-old has sustained a fracture to his right fibula.  Coach Bilić told Sportske Novosti, acknowledging that the midfielder has been an important part of the team. "But we shouldn't dramatise; it is not a disaster.  We have a goal and we will achieve it - even without Modrić."  Bilić added that he would not introduce new players to replace Modrić but that others - namely Niko Kranjcar, who plays for Portsmouth, and Ivan Rakitic of Schalke - will have to make up for his absence.  Modrić said his "whole world crumbled" when he learned that the injury will keep him out of Croatia's matches. He limped off following a light collision with Lee Bowyer in Tottenham's 2-1 victory over Birmingham City. His club said Modrić does not require surgery.

Tuesday, 1 September 2009 - Slaven Bilić has once again received bad news as goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa has followed Luka Modrić in withdrawing from the squad.  The 30-year-old goalkeeper sustained an injury at a training session with his club, Spartak Moscow, last week and underwent further examination on Tuesday to clarify the seriousness of his injury. Doctors told the 79-time capped international that he will be unavailable for around six months due to his knee injury. Pletikosa will undergo surgery in the near-future.  Bilić will most likely call Panathinaïkós shot-stopper Mario Galinovic up to replace the injured custodian.

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CG