Croatia may have to do without Real Madrid's Mateo Kovacic for the qualifying match against Iceland on Saturday, who is still recovering from a bruised ankle. The injury had been picked up in the league clash against Leganes last Sunday, where he had to be replaced by Luka Modric just after the half hour mark, a precaution taken ahead of the World Cup qualifier. The Croatian national team returns to play on Tuesday against Northern Ireland in a friendly and if the injury continues to irritate, then the midfielder could return to Madrid on Sunday, rather than taking a risk in a non-competitive fixture.
Zidane may have even more problems in the midfield and the Frenchman was full of praise for Kovacic in the press conference after the Leganés. "Kovacic is doing great, he may have fewer minutes but it means nothing, it is important that he feels well and is happy," he said. "I can see that he is training very well and I let him know this." With Kroos and Casemiro still in recovery, a new blow would be added to Zidane's midfield problems should the injury become more of a concern.
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