Panama vs Croatia: Top five players to watch out for in FIFA World Cup 2026 ft. Luka Modric & Amir Murillo

Luka Modric will play his 200th game for Croatia against Panama

Croatia and Panama lost their opening FIFA World Cup 2026 games to England and Ghana respectively and are at the bottom of Group L. Another loss for either side could raise a senior question mark on qualification to the knockout rounds. 

Here are five players who will take centre stage in the Panama vs Croatia game to get the result in favour of their respective nations:

Luka Modric (Croatia)

Starting with the biggest and the wisest name in Croatia’s lineup, the 40-year-old Luka Modric is still going strong in the world of football. The AC Milan player had a 100% successful pass rate against England but did not have a major contribution in the game. 

The Croatian captain will be playing his 200th international game when he takes the field against Panama, creating history by becoming only the fourth men’s player to do so. While this is a huge milestone, Modric will surely be more focused on influencing the game and getting three points for Croatia.

Cecilio Waterman (Panama)

Cecilio Waterman started the game for Panama against Ghana but couldn’t make a significant impact for his nation in their FIFA World Cup 2026 opener. In the 66 minutes that he played, the striker had just one shot on target. 

The 35-year-old will be his side’s go-to option to get a goal alongside Ismael Diaz. While not in the best of form, Waterman is reliable and Panama will be hoping he rediscovers his goalscoring touch against Croatia, who conceded 22 shots against England. 

Martin Baturina (Croatia)

Martin Baturina played a decent game against England in Croatia’s first group game, also scoring a goal from outside the box in the 4-2 loss. Baturina had a total of 41 touches, most of which came in the first half. 

The 23-year-old is versatile and can play on the left and also centrally. He is coming off the back of a good season with Italian club Como where he scored 8 goals and also provided 4 assists in 34 games and he will be keen on helping his side register a win against Panama. 

Also Read: Preview: Panama vs Croatia prediction, odds, where to watch, time | FIFA World Cup 2026

Ivan Perisic (Croatia) 

Another old timer who is still going strong for Croatia, Ivan Perisic put in an absolute shift against England. The 37-year-old, playing as a left wing back helped his side with an assist and was also heavily involved with crosses, duels, and defensive contributions. 

Ivan Perisic’s role will be quite important against Panama as Croatia have two tall attacking players in Petar Musa and Petar Sucic, who will benefit from the crosses.

Amir Murillo (Panama)

Playing as the right-wing back for Panama, Amir Murillo’s role for his nation will be similar to that of Ivan Perisic for Croatia. The 30-year-old had a respectable performance in the 1-0 loss to Ghana as he created three chances and also helped his defence with 6 tackles and 7 recoveries.

In terms of his recent form, Murillo joined Besiktas in February and helped his team with 2 goals and 1 assists in 15 games. 

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