Rangers duo Borna Barisic and Antonio Colak have received a significant boost with confirmation that they have both been included in Croatia’s preliminary squad for the World Cup in Qatar.
The 34 man panel will be cut over the next 10 days ahead of the final selection of 23-26 players to be revealed on 9th November.
Colak and Barisic make the preliminary Croatia World Cup Squad ðŸ‡ðŸ‡·ðŸ‘‡ https://t.co/6qdl88gTy7
— Joshua Barrie (@JoshuaBarrieRR) October 31, 2022
For the pair, it provides that extra incentive to push themselves even further over the next fortnight in terms of their duty for Rangers between now and the break with four fixtures remaining.
At the weekend, both contributed with Colak claiming another goal to maintain his red hot Ibrox form whilst Barisic put in a fine showing, coming off the bench to replace Ridvan Yilmaz in the first half of the 4-1 victory over Aberdeen.
AmbitionÂ
Given recent form and selection, neither Rangers player is likely to be first choice for Zlatko Dalic’s side in Qatar but Barisic is never far from the team with regular game time under his belt, even if he does not start every game.
The Croatians will face games against Belgium, Canada and Morocco in Group F, with an expectation that they will emerge into the knockout stage.
Left full-back Barisic will be aiming to add to his significant experience gained over 27 caps with Colak only having three previous outings for the national team but his reputation will be enhanced at present given the form he is in, at Ibrox. The modest German-born striker recently stated:
“I hope I will be in the (Croatia) squad. It is one of my big targets. I just try to continue working hard and to show the coach of the national team I want to be there.”
“I am confident and always aim to impress the coach with my game, but it is always about the success of the club. I don’t set targets, I just want to score as many goals as I can.”