Croatia national football team awaits the first, historic clash with Peru, scheduled for Friday, 23 March at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, in a preparation match for the FIFA World Cup in Russia.
"We'll play against Peru as we did in the three previous matches, in the 4-2-3-1 formation. I have thought about an alternative, but we do not have much time for experiments. However, it is good that we are here in the USA playing Latin American teams. I have asked for strong opponents and I got them. I hope these two matches in the USA will be a positive experience for Croatia", says Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalić.
"We want to test our strength against World Cup teams similar to Argentine, one of the favourites for the trophy. Peru conceded only seven times in 2017, playing solid defence, and I am well aware of Farfan's quality. I would like to face them in the World Cup second round, why not", he added.
"Croatia's main objective is to prepare our own game and give an opportunity to all the players. Our performance is the key, and a win against Peru would be an important boost to our confidence. We have excellent players from the best European clubs - I took over in a difficult situation, and now we want to fulfill our dreams, aiming to reach the second round as the first step. I completely trust my players, getting feedback from them. Croatia is a small country, with great expectations in football", Dalić concluded.
Croatia captain Luka Modrić enjoyed watching Peru's celebrations upon securing FIFA World Cup berth.
"Peru are extremely good in aggression, pace, being a compact team with several dangerous individual. Farfan is fit, and Guerrero is probably their best player. I like Peru, a team that shows unity, and we expect a tough match against a quality representative of South American football. It will be a good test for Argentina encounter in Russia. I hope we can fulfill our coaching staff's requirements and achieve a positive result - we respect Peru, but we want to win in every match. There's no pressure, however, we strive for a quality performance, with a win only to make things perfect", says Modrić.
"Croatia has to stay true to its style. We possess quality and have to present it on the pitch. Of course, there are things we can improve through hard work, we want to develop with every match played. As we dream of repeating France '98, our objective is to progress from the group and play step by step. We've grown as a team, we also enjoy unity, and in the previous matches we have fans' support. We need that, as only together we can achieve something. Moreover, we are more experienced and stronger than in 2014", he continued.
"I am glad we came to the US, so we can be closer to our North American fans. They always support us, and that means a lot to us. Let them continue, and we will give our best on the pitch, to present Croatia in the best possible light - against Peru and Mexico, and at the FIFA World Cup", emphasized the captain.
