There weren't any real surprises as Croatia manager Ante Cacic named his final 23-man squad for the European Championship. Dejan Lovren isn't there, but we've known that for a while.
Goalkeepers:
There has always been a clear hierarchy among Croatia's keepers and this time is no different. Danijel Subasic -- a fine keeper with no major weaknesses, who has been with Monaco since their Ligue 2 days -- is untouchable. This will be his first big tournament as first choice, having previously been a backup for the now retired Stipe Pletikosa.
Lovre Kalinic of Hajduk Split is Subasic's chosen deputy, while Ivan Vargic, who is moving from Rijeka to Lazio this summer, is firmly third choice.
Defence:
In defence lies the only really notable omission, but it's something everyone has been aware of for months. Manager Cacic made it known there won't be a place in his team for Lovren, who had publicly criticised him and refused to apologise.
The Liverpool centre-back probably wouldn't have been his first choice, anyway -- the gaffer prefers Dynamo Kiev's Domagoj Vida alongside defensive mainstay Vedran Corluka, now at Lokomotiv Moscow. Dinamo Zagreb's Gordon Schildenfeld and young Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen) are the alternatives.
Shakhtar Donetsk and Croatia captain, Darijo Srna, is still a starter at right-back -- although his stamina has dropped drastically over the years. Sassuolo's Sime Vrsaljko, who is a decade younger at 24, could be a better choice.
Cacic might play Vrsaljko on the other side, though, where the only natural left-back is Ivan Strinic and he barely ever plays for Napoli.
Midfield:
The Clasico playmaker axis of Real Madrid's Luka Modric and Barcelona's Ivan Rakitic is obviously Croatia's biggest strength. The problem is that Croatia has no "proper" holding midfielder who can provide a safety net for those two. Cacic doesn't have a Sergio Busquets or even a Casemiro to call on.
Fiorentina's Milan Badelj doesn't quite fit the profile, but neither does Marcelo Brozovic. The hard-running box-to-box man from Inter Milan, who can also play on the right, has the edge going into the tournament, but not by much.
Mateo Kovacic, Modric's teammate at Madrid, will probably be benched and used only as impact player. The talented and dynamic Dinamo duo, Marko Rog and Ante Coric, might get a few minutes off the bench, too. There was supposed to be a place for Mario Pasalic, a young Chelsea central midfielder who spent the season on loan at Monaco, but he has been injured for months.
As for wingers, Ivan Perisic (Inter Milan) has been Croatia's most consistent performer ever since the 2014 World Cup; he gets to keep his starter status even if Cacic decides to go ahead with 4-4-2 or 3-5-2, the two formations he vaguely experimented with in the friendlies.
Marko Pjaca, another Dinamo player (but not for long -- he's definitely on the move this summer) is set to start on the other attacking flank in 4-2-3-1. Young Alen Halilovic, who has struggled to make a breakthrough at Barcelona, was dropped at the final cut.
Strikers:
There are four of them, with Pjaca and Perisic able to fill in should the need arise. Mario Mandzukic (Juventus) is first choice, although his constantly charging, ferocious style is less than a perfect fit with the rest of the team.
Andrej Kramaric, who recently turned his loan move from Leicester City to Hoffenheim into a permanent deal, is much more technical, versatile and cunning. Nikola Kalinic of Fiorentina is something in between of those two while Malaga's Duje Cop is merely a backup, after Cacic's efforts to talk Shakhtar's Eduardo out of international retirement proved futile. He is least likely to get playing time even if the switch to two strikers occurs at some point during the tournament.
Predicted starting XI for opening match vs. Turkey:
Subasic; Srna, Corluka, Vida, Vrsaljko; Modric, Brozovic; Perisic, Rakitic, Pjaca; Mandzukic.