Interim Croatian national head coach Zlatko Dalic has expressed confidence about earning one of the last spots at the 2018 Russia World Cup, even as he warned against falling for “Greek tricks”.
Dalic on Monday said he spoke to Belgium head coach Roberto Martinez about Croatia’s next opponents Greece, reports Xinhua.
“Now I have a much clearer picture about what we have to do. We have to avoid getting into Greek style of play. We have to stay calm and not to fall for Greek tricks,” Dalic said.
“I expect that Greece will come to Zagreb to defend. We all have to be patient, players on the field and our supporters in the stands,” he added.
Croatia will host Greece on Thursday at Maksimir stadium and the Greeks will host the Croatians at Georgios Karaiskakis stadium in Piraeus on November 12.
Bad weather forecast for the upcoming days doesn’t concern Dalic.
“Rain or snow, we have to do our job. Wet pitch would be better for the team that will base its tactics on a strong defense, but I don’t want any excuses. We have to make it to the World Cup,” he added.
Livepool defender Dejan Lovren is confident that this generation can cope with the pressure.
“We had our backs against the wall in Ukraine and we showed how good we are. We are strong and all we need is a positive mindset,” Lovren said.
Inter Milan forward Ivan Perisic is even more optimistic.
“Greece have a strong defensive team, but we have good attacking options. It will be easier to play in the second leg if we win in Zagreb and I believe that we will insure our place at the World Cup after the first match,” he said.
Both teams will enter the play-offs with perfect scores, but only one will extend that streak.