CROATIA PROFILE: After finishing third in France ’98, Croatia will need to strike the right balance between youth and experience to sparkle in the Orient, writes Paul Doyle

One thing is clear: do not judge Croatia's ability by their performances in friendlies. Manager Mirko Jozic will no doubt arrange a stack of them before next summer, but the chances of any of his players taking them seriously are roughly the same as the chances of Robert Prosinecki guiding Portsmouth to the Premiership title.

Prosinecki is still a central schemer for his national team, as is Alen Boksic (right). The presence of such stars at glum English clubs such as Portsmouth and Middlesborugh may be incongruous, but there is nothing odd about their place in Jozic's team. And just to prove youth is no substitute for class, it was Boksic who bagged qualification with the crucial winner against Belgium (he also notched the goal that sealed qualification for France '98, but injury meant he missed out on Croatia's glorious expedition in the Finals).

Even Davor Suker, who has hardly played club football since grabbing the Golden Boot three years ago (but recently, at last, coaxed a contract out of 1860 Munich), is still a key contributor, indeed he was privileged enough to score against Ireland at Lansdowne Road last August!

And while one may be right to reckon a team led by such craggy veterans won't creak very far in Korea, it's worth bearing in mind that (I) Croatia's strikerforce can be freshened up by the young and allegedly talented Bosko Balaban (below), and (ii) if their forwards flag, their defence is still formidable enough to snatch points.

Croatia disencumbered themselves of their qualifying competitors without sustaining the slighest defeat, indeed, Scotland, Belgium, Lithuania, and San Marino, could only scramble two goals against Croatia between the lot of them.

Bayern Munich's Robert Kovac is as reliable a right-back as you'll find (and his brother Niko wreaks havoc in midfield); Serie A-seasoned stoppers Igor Tudor and Dario Simic (Juventus and Inter) are scrooges and proud of it; and left-back Robert Jarni, wizened certainly, still with a wicked shot and cross on him.

Tudor and Balaban (who has netted 6 goals in 12 games for his country, as opposed to zero for his club, Aston Villa) are two of the few young hopes to emerge in Croatia since France '98. Liverpool's Igor Biscan is another, while Bayer Leverkusen's Jurica Vranjes and Croatia Zagreb's Ivica Olic are also laying claims to the places made vacant by the retirement of Zvonmir Boban, Aljosa Asanovic, and Drazen Ladic.

If the young lads mature quickly, while their elders decay slowly, Croatia could repeat the feat of France '98. If not, they may be muck, even though, unlike on their recent friendly visit to South Korea (where they lost 2-0 to their hosts), they'll be motivated.

Squad:

Goalkeepers
1-Stipe Pletikosa (Hajduk Split), 12-Tomislav Butina (Dinamo Zagreb), 23-Vladimir Vasilj (Zagreb)

Defenders
21-Robert Kovac (Bayern Munich/Ger), 17-Robert Jarni (Panathinaikos/Gre), 20-Dario Simic (Inter Milan/Ita), 3-Josip Simunic (Hertha Berlin/Ger), 6-Boris Zivkovic (Bayer Leverkusen/Ger), 2-Daniel Saric (Panathinaikos/Ger), 15-Anthony Seric (Verona/Ita)

Midfielders
4-Stjepan Tomas (Vicenza/Ita), 14-Zvonimir Soldo (VfB Stuttgart/Ger), 8-Robert Prosinecki (Nagoya Grampus Eight/Jpn), 10-Niko Kovac (Bayern Munich/Ger), 16-Jurica Vranjes (Bayer Leverkusen/Ger), 7-Davor Vugrinec (Lecce/Ita), 5-Milan Rapaic (Fenerbahce/Tur), 13-Mario Stanic (Chelsea/Eng)

Forwards
11-Alen Boksic (Middlesbrough/Eng), 9-Davor Suker (1860 Munich/Ger), 19-Goran Vlaovic (Panathinaikos/Gre), 18-Ivica Olic (Zagreb), 22-Bosko Balaban (Aston Villa/Eng)