Despite assist in Benfica v Porto, Ivanovic hit by bad news from Croatia | OneFootball

Franjo Ivanovic has been relegated to the reserve list of the Croatian national team for the March friendlies against Colombia and Brazil, in Orlando. The player is going through a period of reduced playing time, despite providing the assist for Leandro Barreiro's equalizing goal in the Benfica - Porto match.

In the main squad call-up of 26 players, the Clube da Luz forward was left out, so the Croatian coach called up nine standby players who may join the team if necessary before the training camp, scheduled for March 23.

Croatia will play on March 26 and again on the 31st of the same month. The main list does not include a natural left-back, with Domagoj Bradaric only on the preliminary list and Borna Sosa completely absent. Dalic has been using Josip Stanisic and Gvardiol in the position, with the latter recovering from a serious injury but expected to be ready for the World Cup.

As our newspaper previously reported, exclusively, the forward may be loaned out in 2026/27. Despite the significant investment, the striker has not managed to establish himself in the starting eleven and the Club is considering the possibility of sending him to another team to gain rhythm, confidence, and playing minutes (Find out more HERE).

This season, playing for Benfica, Franjo Ivanovic - valued at 20 million euros - has already played 34 official matches: 17 in Liga Portugal Betclic, 11 in the Champions League, four in the Portuguese Cup, and two in the League Cup. In the 1,152 minutes he spent on the pitch, the Croatian registered five goals and two assists.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.