No Problems or Doubts

"Everyone is healthy and ready. We have no squad issues and no doubts regarding the starting lineup. We must be better than we were in the last match and improve the areas that were not good enough, especially defensively. We need to be more responsible and more focused. Against England, we gifted them too much and made it difficult for ourselves to score our own goals.

"The opponent is a good team. They defend with a compact structure, all of their players are mobile and disciplined, and they have quick players who can hurt you on the counterattack. We have to prevent that. We must approach the game as favourites and be brave.

"Perhaps the longer break has been useful for us in terms of analysis and regrouping, but after a defeat we cannot wait for the next match. We must play our football, and if we do that, we can expect a positive result."

Croatia Is a Challenge for Everyone

"Croatia is a challenge for every opponent, including Panama. They were the better side for most of their match against Ghana, enjoyed more possession, and perhaps did not deserve to lose. We are aware of their quality. They will be highly motivated, and this is also an opportunity for them to progress from the group. They will be motivated, but so will we."

Support from the Fans

"The support of our fans is always important to us. We always have tremendous backing from the Croatian diaspora, especially here. They have been eagerly waiting to see their national team, and I thank them for all the support so far.

"It is a special occasion for both them and us to play in Toronto. We expect them to truly be our 12th player, and we will do our best not to disappoint them."

Luka Vušković

"He is a great talent and the future of Croatian football. He has enormous potential. I expect him to continue developing and become one of the leaders of the national team.

"I can only praise his work ethic and behaviour. The match against England must not discourage him or any of us; it should serve as a valuable experience. Players are developed through matches. It was similar with Joško Gvardiol in 2021, and we ended up with a world-class player. I expect the same from Luka, and we must support him."

Cooling Breaks

"There is a lot of discussion about them. Sometimes they help a team, and sometimes they do not. When a team has momentum and initiative, they can be disruptive, but when a team is struggling and needs a break, they can be useful.

"I do not have much more to say about it. There are both positive and negative aspects."

Luka Modrić

"Modrić is the greatest Croatian footballer in history, and he will remain so for a long time. At his age, he still plays for the national team with incredible passion and desire. He is a source of motivation for all of us.

"He is a phenomenon and my right-hand man on the pitch. Through his example, professionalism, seriousness, and behaviour, he teaches younger players how to prepare, play, and conduct themselves as members of the national team.

"He has won the biggest individual awards in football and continues to impress the entire world."

Panama's Strengths

"Panama are genuinely a very good team. They had gone a long time without losing and possess quality, especially when defending. They have several players based in Europe.

"They want to play football, and their attackers can always create danger and cause problems. We must be patient and look for solutions through the wings. Defensively, they stay compact and close together.

"Panama are combative, they run a lot, and they are a very demanding opponent. However, they will only be as good as we allow them to be."

Pressure

"There is always pressure, but we are responsible for that because we have set the bar very high through achievements that were difficult to imagine and difficult to achieve. The whole world enjoys watching us, respects us, and values us.

"Those are now the expectations, although whether they are realistic is a fair question. Nevertheless, we want to achieve our goal and progress from the group. The pressure exists, but it must not hold us back. We need to produce our best performance.

"There are high expectations in Croatia, but we also expect a lot from ourselves. History is behind us. Every match is a new opportunity to prove ourselves."

Passion, Pride and Motivation

"We may be a small nation, but when we play for our country, we do so with passion, pride, and motivation. We have quality and talent, and whenever we put on the Croatian shirt, we give our very best.

"What defines us are our unity and our desire, both of which are at a very high level. When we play for Croatia, there are no limits."