The Korea Herald

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Croatia recalls stars for Korea match

By Korea Herald

Published : Jan. 22, 2013 - 18:32

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Croatia has recalled most of its star players for an upcoming friendly against South Korea.

The Croatia Football Federation on Tuesday unveiled the 26-man provisional roster that included Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric, Bayern Munich forward Mario Mandzukic and Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Niko Kranjcar.

The match is scheduled for Feb. 6 at Craven Cottage in London, home of the English Premier League club Fulham FC.

Croatia has also named a current Fulham player, forward Mladen Petric.

Croatia is ranked 10th in the world in the latest FIFA table, 24 spots higher than South Korea.

At a press conference, Croatian head coach Igor Stimac said he will only take 19 of those 26 players to London.

He called South Korea “a very serious opponent” and predicted a difficult match because many of his players are “still in the stage of preparation.”

South Korea named its roster on Monday, with 13 of the 24 players currently playing for foreign clubs.

Head coach Choi Kang-hee said the Croatian match will be “a very good test” for his team.

Both countries are going through continental qualifications for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

South Korea is in second place in Group A in the final Asian qualifying round behind Uzbekistan.

Croatia is also in second in its group, behind Belgium, in the first round of the European qualification.

South Korea is pursuing its eighth consecutive World Cup appearance.

Croatia didn’t qualify for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa after playing in the previous three tournaments. (Yonhap News)