Luka Modric and Co. think the 0-3 defeat against Spain is a thing of the past. Team boss Zlatko Dalic apologized to his own fans after the World Cup third-place team’s poor performance. He demanded a significant improvement in performance from his team. “I hope we just had a bad day,” said the 57-year-old. He does not want to make any major personnel or tactical changes for the game against Albania, revealed Dalic: “We are not going to change everything that we have done well before.”
The 38-year-old Modric was already rested in the second half against Spain because of the hopeless situation. Dalic will hold on to the captaincy. Salzburg’s Luka Sucic could get his chance, who, according to media reports, could take Marcelo Brozovic’s place in midfield. He should also help to prevent the worst case scenario. Croatia has lost three of its last five competitive matches, and before Spain the team lost to Turkey and Wales in the European Championship qualifiers.
Second matchday
Wednesday, 3 p.m. (live on ORF1):
Croatia – Albania
Hamburg, SR Letexier (FRA)
Possible setups:
Croatia: Livakovic – Stanisic, Sutalo, Gvardiol, Sosa – Modric, Sucic, Kovacic – Majer, Budimir, Kramaric
Albania: Strakosha – Hysaj, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Mitaj – Asllani, Bajrami, Ramadani – Laci, Manaj, Asani
Vlasic is out injured
For midfielder Nicola Vlasic, the tournament is already over. The 26-year-old left the team’s quarters on Tuesday due to a muscle injury. “I am very sorry that this new injury prevents me from helping the team,” said Vlasic. “But I believe in this team and will now be its biggest fan.” But he is by no means the only one: around 50,000 fans of the “Vatreni” were in the Berlin stadium for the match against Spain, and over 100,000 are said to have been in the city.
Tens of thousands of people are also travelling to Hamburg. Kramaric, who plays for Hoffenheim in Germany, spoke of a “home European Championship” and said: “It would be a shame not to take advantage of that.” The Croatian press has already dubbed the match a deciding match. “We still have everything in our own hands, everything under control,” said Dalic.
Albania wants to make pinpricks
However, the Albanians also want to take advantage of their small chance. The south-eastern Europeans feel comfortable in the role of underdogs. They already finished the qualification ahead of the Czechs and Poland. Against Croatia, Brazilian coach Sylvinho is expected to rely on a compact defense and pinpricks up front.
“I’ve seen the other teams in this tournament. If you want to play with them, they’ll score five or six goals for you,” said the former left-back of FC Barcelona and Manchester City. There are also many young players in his team: “They’re still growing.”
The underdog can also look forward to loud support in Hamburg. During the 1:2 defeat against Italy, the hot-blooded Albanian fans also attracted attention with actions that UEFA did not like. Due to several incidents, including pyrotechnics and political messages, disciplinary proceedings were opened against Albania’s association. The association promised to improve, but also took a less strict view of the case. “The event was a celebration of European football and there were no major incidents that would have spoilt the positive atmosphere,” said a spokesman.
