Bayern Munich’s Olic will have to undergo knee surgery and will be out for at least six months. Jelavic has been sidelined since undergoing ankle surgery last month.

Croatia coach Slaven Bilic said on Tuesday that Lyon defender Dejan Lovren and Dinamo Kiev midfielder Ognjen Vukojevic will also miss the match on Nov. 17 in Zagreb due to yellow cards.

Still, “we will be fully engaged because both the fans and reporters already count on our three points,” Bilic said. “I am convinced that we will win that match, the last this year, and end up at No. 1 of our group.” Croatia is second in Group F, and Malta is sixth and last.

To replace the absentees, Bilic introduced new names including Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Milan Badelj and Kaiserslautern striker Srdjan Lakic.

Bilic said the team will most miss Olic, but was convinced that although Olic’s surgery “is not easy,” he will “give a lot to Bayern and the national team in the rest of the season.”
 
Squad:

Goalkeepers: Vedran Runje (Lens), Stipe Pletikosa (Tottenham Hotspur) Defenders: Vedran Corluka (Tottenham Hotspur), Josip Simunic (Hoffenheim), Gordon Schildenfeld (Sturm), Sime Vrsaljko (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Strinic (Hajduk Split), Jurica Buljat (Hajduk Split).

Midfielders: Darijo Srna (Shakhtar), Tomislav Dujmovic (Dinamo Moscow), Ivan Rakitic (Schalke), Danijel Pranjic (Bayern Munich), Luka Modric (Tottenham Hotspur), Niko Kranjcar (Tottenham Hotspur), Milan Badelj (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivo Ilicevic (Kaiserslautern).

Forwards: Eduardo Da Silva (Shakhtar), Mladen Petric (HSV), Mario Mandzukic (Wolfsburg), Mate Bilic (Sporting Gijon), Nikola Kalinic (Blackburn), Srdjan Lakic (Kaiserslautern).