The 30-year-old picked up a hamstring injury during last night's enthralling encounter against Spain, where Croatia left it late to win 3-2.
Rakitic was withdrawn from play in the 66th minute, and will now go back to Barcelona to undergo tests.
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic said of the midfielder: "He will go to Barcelona because there is an injury.
"You know my practice not to risk [players] if there is anything suspicious.
"We want healthy and ready players, Ivan Rakitic at the moment is not one hundred per cent ready for the game so unfortunately we go without him.
"We've got [Nikola] Vlasic, [Mateo] Kovacic, [Josip] Brekalo, we have [Milan] Badelj, we always have solutions.
"We'll look for another solution and that will be fine, I hope."
Rakitic said of his injury: "I asked for the change because I had discomfort."
Barca fear that the ex-Sevilla ace – who picked up a red card in the recent 4-3 defeat against Real Betis – could face a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Jadon Sancho should have been a bag of nerves, but playing at Dortmund has been perfect for him
IT was supposed to be the biggest game of his life, but for Jadon Sancho it wasn’t even his biggest game of the week.
England’s latest teen sensation should have been a bag of nerves as he stepped out for his first senior international start at Wembley last night.
But having already helped Borussia Dortmund beat Bayern Munich in front of more than 80,000 at the Westfalenstadion at the weekend, he was never going to be fazed by a mere friendly against the USA.
This was the first time most England fans were able to take a proper look at the 18-year-old winger who has been fast-tracked into the senior international team by Gareth Southgate.
His debut in Croatia last month was played behind closed doors and his bold decision to leave Manchester City for Dortmund last year meant that he had never played a senior game in this country before.
READ MORE ABOUT WHY JADON SANCHO'S FUTURE IS BRIGHT WITH ENGLAND
The winner of Sunday's meeting between Croatia and England will advance through to the finals next summer.
While the loser will be relegated to Group B, with Spain currently on six points – two clear of their rivals.
Source: Read Full Article