Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Daily Record
Daily Record
Sport
Mark Walker

Croatia set up Euro 2020 St Andrews base to face Scotland as Ryan Fraser inclusion branded 'gamble' by Newcastle boss

Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic will base his players at the home of golf as he hopes to drive his Euro 2020 heroes to success.

The World Cup 2018 finalists will take on Steve Clarke's Scotland in Group D at Hampden with the Scots unbeaten against the Balkan nation for 21 years.

They face off in the final game of the section after both teams take on the Czech Republic and England.

Throughout the campaign the visitors will stay in a luxury coastal hotel in St Andrews and Dalic, who named his 26-man squad including Rangers defender Borna Barisic, hopes to copy the blueprint from that fairytale Russia run three years ago.

He said: "We had great conditions in Russia and I firmly believe that contributed to our fantastic run to the Final. I know it will be the same again at St Andrews.

"This is the best solution for the stay of the national team during the Euros. The camp is very important, not only because of the training, but also because of creating a positive atmosphere and togetherness and this location offers us excellent conditions for all that.

"We wanted to provide the national team with absolutely the best conditions for staying during the Euros and that is why we opted for St Andrews.

"We know from our experiences in Russia how important it is to have peace, nature and quality sports infrastructure, so we chose a hotel and training pitches that are at the highest level. I am convinced that this is the best solution for the national team.

"I have picked the best 26 players we have. I think if you asked our fans to pick a squad, they would have included about 98 per cent of the players I have.

Zlatko Dalic (AFP via Getty Images)

"We have to play three very tough opponents, but I completely believe in this squad."

Croatia have added an addition to their coaching team for the Finals - former Manchester City and Spurs defender Vedran Corluka.

He won 108 caps and was a World Cup runner-up in 2018 before retiring from playing at Lokomotiv Moscow.

Meanwhile, Newcastle boss Steve Bruce insists Ryan Fraser's inclusion in the Scotland squad on Wednesday would be a "gamble".

Fraser is one of the team's top performers but has been out for a number of weeks and the former Aberdeen wide man faces a race to be fit for the tournament.

Bruce said: "It has been a difficult time for him. He does desperately need a pre-season. Pre-season is huge for him.

"Whether he's going to be picked in the Scotland squad, I would think that would be a gamble too since he's missed the last six, seven weeks playing no real football or training.

"With the problems Scotland have got and 26 players, I don't know, but it's certainly a gamble."

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.