Ćaleta-Car still outside full rhythm: Dalić cautiously monitors the defender's condition in the final phase of preparations
Duje Ćaleta-Car remains one of the situations that the coaching staff of the Croatian national football team is monitoring with particular attention ahead of the final test against Slovenia and the departure for the 2026 World Cup. According to the available information from the preparations, the centre-back skipped the friendly match against Belgium at Rujevica due to minor issues and is still not in full training rhythm with the team. In such a situation, head coach Zlatko Dalić and his staff do not want to risk an unnecessary worsening of the condition, especially because this is a phase of preparations in which the players' health must be protected while competitive intensity is being raised at the same time. In its public announcements so far, the Croatian Football Federation has not stated a detailed medical diagnosis for Ćaleta-Car, so his status can be described as being monitored day by day, without official confirmation of a more serious injury. That does not mean that his appearance at the World Cup has been called into question, but it does raise the question of how quickly he will regain the rhythm required for matches at the highest level.
Caution around the defender at a moment when room for testing is narrowing
For the national team, every change in the back line is sensitive because, in the days before a major tournament, the issue is no longer only the physical readiness of individuals, but also the coordination of the entire block. Ćaleta-Car is on the final list of players travelling to the World Cup, and the Croatian Football Federation has announced that he will wear the number 5 shirt at the tournament. According to the official HNS profile, by 04 June 2026 he had recorded 38 appearances and one goal for the senior national team, with his first appearance coming on 3 June 2018. Such continuity in the national team gives him importance in the depth of the squad, especially in a competition played in an expanded format and in which the match rhythm will require a wide selection of reliable options. That is precisely why his absence from full training does not have to be an alarm, but in the preparation week it carries real weight.
Croatia played against Belgium on 2 June in Rijeka without Ćaleta-Car listed among the players used, while the HNS report states that Dalić made a large number of substitutions during the match and gave minutes to a series of players. In that context, a missed test is not insignificant, because friendly matches immediately before a tournament serve to check automatisms, distribute minutes and test possible defensive combinations. A centre-back who is not in full training misses some of those situations, and returning to competitive rhythm depends not only on whether the player is formally healthy, but also on his feel for duels, positioning, reactions to balls in behind and communication with the goalkeeper and full-backs. The staff therefore have to assess whether it is more important to give him minutes against Slovenia or keep him in a controlled programme until he is completely ready. Such a decision is usually not made only according to the player's wishes, but according to the assessment of the medical and coaching parts of the staff.
Belgium opened up issues concerning the entire defence
The first June test did not go well for Croatia in terms of the result. According to the HNS report, Belgium won 2:0 at the HNK Rijeka stadium, with goals from Youri Tielemans in the 38th minute and Romelu Lukaku in the sixth minute of stoppage time. The match report states that Croatia started with Dominik Livaković, Joško Gvardiol, Josip Šutalo, Luka Vušković and the other players Dalić selected in the starting line-up, while other internationals were also given a chance in the second half. HNS also recorded that Luka Modrić had a dangerous attempt after Belgium took the lead, that Ante Budimir hit the frame of the goal in the second half and that Marco Pašalić fired close to the goal late on. Despite those situations, Belgium made more effective use of their chances and, with the victory, further underlined the issues Croatia must resolve before the start of the tournament.
After the match, according to the HNS publication, Dalić said that Belgium should be congratulated because they were better in all segments of the game, but stressed that there was no need to create drama because of the defeat. The head coach emphasised that Croatia must bring Luka Modrić, Mateo Kovačić and Joško Gvardiol back into match rhythm, which shows that part of the problem is also being viewed through the players' workload after the club season. In the same address, he warned about counterattacks, a lack of depth and insufficient directness in the attacking phase, but also about the need for a detailed analysis of the goals conceded. Those assessments did not concern only individuals, but the team's balance between possession, covering space and reacting after losing the ball. If Ćaleta-Car returns quickly to training, his minutes against Slovenia could be important precisely for checking that balance in the back line.
Why Ćaleta-Car's rhythm is particularly important
Ćaleta-Car is a type of centre-back who brings height, experience and the habit of playing international matches. His role is not necessarily tied only to the starting eleven, but also to the possibility that Dalić adjusts the defence during the tournament against different types of opponents. In a group with England, Panama and Ghana, Croatia will face teams of different styles, from strong individual players and quick wingers to situations in which set pieces and aerial duels will have great value. For that reason, every international from the defensive line must be brought into a condition in which he can react immediately, without a long gradual introduction. With centre-backs, this is even more pronounced because an error in judging space or a late reaction to a through ball often directly opens up a chance for the opponent.
His club season further explains why the view around him is not only short-term. In August 2025, Real Sociedad officially announced an agreement with Lyon on the loan of Ćaleta-Car until the end of the 2025/26 season, with an option to buy. Croatian and Spanish media later reported after the end of the season that the Basque club had not activated the purchase option and that the defender was heading back to Lyon, which means he entered national-team preparations in a period of club uncertainty as well. That in itself does not have to affect his performances for the national team, but it shows that he is a player who had a season with a changing context behind him and now has to direct maximum focus toward short national-team deadlines. In the final phase of preparations, the most important thing is that the body responds to the workload and that the player gains confidence in duels, sprints and reactions that cannot be fully simulated through individual work.
Slovenia as the final test before the American part of the journey
HNS previously announced that the second friendly match in the final phase of preparations will be played against Slovenia on 7 June at the City Stadium in Varaždin, starting at 20:45. That match now gains additional value because it comes after the defeat to Belgium and before the departure for the World Cup. For the players who received significant minutes against Belgium, the match with Slovenia can serve to improve the impression, while for those who skipped the duel or worked at reduced intensity it is the last open opportunity for a check in competitive conditions. In Ćaleta-Car's case, the decision on a possible appearance will have to reconcile two opposing interests: the need for minutes and the need not to risk a worsening of the condition. If he is not completely ready, it is more logical to expect caution, because the more important matches are played after the end of preparations.
Slovenia is not merely a formal dress rehearsal. It is an opponent that can test the defence's concentration, patience in possession and reaction to transitions after losing the ball. After Belgium, the Croatian staff have enough material for analysis precisely in the segments Dalić publicly mentioned: depth, counterattacks, speed of reaction and directness in the final third. That is why the line-up for Varaždin will probably be viewed through the prism of the health bulletin as well, and not only through the head coach's desire to give rhythm to as wide a circle of candidates as possible. For players who are certain travellers to the World Cup, the last friendly match is often psychologically important as well, because it closes the European part of preparations and leads into the final tournament regime.
The expanded World Cup format increases the importance of squad depth
FIFA has confirmed a new format for the 2026 World Cup with 48 national teams, 12 groups of four teams and a total of 104 matches. The tournament will be played in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America from 11 June to 19 July, and the two best national teams from each group plus the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the knockout stage. Such a system changes the way the squad is planned because the path to the latter stages includes an additional knockout round and potentially more matches than in previous editions. For national teams with high ambitions, that means they cannot count only on an ideal eleven at the tournament, but on a group of players capable of taking on a role in different phases of the competition. Defensive depth is particularly important in that respect because of bookings, possible injuries and tactical adaptations to opponents.
According to FIFA's schedule, Croatia begins its Group L campaign on 17 June with a match against England at Dallas Stadium. That is followed by a duel with Panama on 23 June at Toronto Stadium, and then a match with Ghana on 27 June at Philadelphia Stadium. The schedule shows that after the final friendly match Croatia has a limited number of days for final fine-tuning of details, travel and adaptation to tournament conditions. This further explains why, around every player who is not in full rhythm, the question is one of time, and not only availability. If Ćaleta-Car is ready for normal work in the coming days, his status can stabilise quickly; if caution is extended, the staff will have to plan the first matches with a different distribution of defensive minutes.
Uncertainty is not an exception in final preparations
Situations like this are common in the weeks before major tournaments because national teams gather immediately after demanding club seasons. Players arrive with different levels of fatigue, some have only just finished the final stages of leagues or cups, while some had fewer minutes and need an additional competitive impulse. After Belgium, Dalić clearly emphasised that certain key players need to be brought back into rhythm, and that can also apply to players who, due to minor issues, have to gradually increase their workload. The difference is that, in health-sensitive cases, the line must not be crossed too early. The short-term benefit of appearing in a friendly match would not make sense if it opened the risk of absence at the start of the World Cup.
At this moment, the most important thing is that there is no need for excessive conclusions around Ćaleta-Car until it becomes clearer how he reacts to workload. If he returns to team training before Varaždin, the coaching staff can introduce him through limited minutes or through a controlled programme, depending on the assessment. If he is not ready to appear against Slovenia, that would say more about caution than about necessarily ruling him out of the tournament, as long as there is no official confirmation of a more serious problem. For Dalić, the most important thing is to have a defence in Dallas that can respond to England's speed and intensity, and for Ćaleta-Car to move in the coming days without setbacks from a rehabilitation or individual regime into full competitive work. The final test in Varaždin will therefore be important not only because of the result, but also because of the last answers about the state of the squad.
Sources:
- Croatian Football Federation – report from the Croatia - Belgium 0:2 friendly match at Rujevica and the match sheet (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – Zlatko Dalić's statements after the match with Belgium and assessment of the preparation duel (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – final list of the Croatian national team for the World Cup and shirt numbers (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – official profile of Duje Ćaleta-Car in the senior national team (link)
- Croatian Football Federation – announcement of the friendly matches against Belgium in Rijeka and Slovenia in Varaždin (link)
- FIFA – explanation of the 2026 World Cup format with 48 national teams and 104 matches (link)
- FIFA – official match schedule of the 2026 World Cup (link)
- Real Sociedad – official announcement of the loan of Duje Ćaleta-Car from Lyon for the 2025/26 season (link)
- HRT / Hina – information about the end of the loan at Real Sociedad and the return toward Lyon after the season (link)