Croatia and Peru will play a friendly match in Miami this Saturday morning at 02:00 am Croatian time.
The Croatian football team, in preparation for the 2018 World Cup, continues with two friendly matches against Peru and Mexico in the United States. The national team met in Miami on Monday, where their first match against Peru will be played tonight. On Tuesday night, the team will face Mexico, reports Gol.hr on March 23, 2018.
Croatia and Peru will play at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami at 20:00 (02:00 Saturday Croatia time). It will be the first match of Dalić’s team in 2018 after last season ended with additional qualifiers against Greece which placed the team in the World Cup in Russia.
Coach Zlatko Dalić insisted on strong preparatory games ahead of the World Cup which will be a real test for Croatia’s national side. After Peru, Croatia will play Tuesday night against Mexico in Dallas. If you recall, the Croatia national team also faced Mexico in Los Angeles last year.
Dalić brought along 24 players for the mini-tour in the United States, though four players dropped out of the overall list announced at the beginning of the month. Dejan Lovren did not travel due to a foot injury, Matej Mitrović for a lower back injury, and Ivan Santini and Marin Leovac were decided to be left out of the friendly actions.
Against Peru, Dalić will put forth Croatia’s strongest side, while against Mexico the coach will use a mixed batch without the nation’s biggest stars – Modrić, Rakitić, Mandžukić, Perišić, Kalinić, Brozović, Subašić, and others.
“When someone mentions Peru, the first thing I think about is their fans’ celebration. They have not been a part of the World Cup for a long time and I’m really glad they will be in Russia, but we are better,” Dalić said at a press conference on the eve of the match, which allegedly angered some Peruvian journalists.
“We will play against Peru as we have in the three previous games, with 4-2-3-1. I’ve been thinking about it, and we do not have much time, but it’s good that we’re here and playing against a South American team. I asked for strong rivals, I have them, and I hope to have a good experience in these two matches,” said the Croatia coach.
In Miami, the national team is also expected to debut their new jerseys which will be worn at the World Cup in Russia.
For the first time in 36 years, Peru qualified for the World Cup after defeating New Zealand in the playoff round of the qualifiers. Before that, Peru finished fifth in the South American group behind Colombia, Argentina, Uruguay and Brazil.
“The Peru national team is characterized by their fight, speed, and compactness, and they have several dangerous individuals. Farfan is in good shape, and I think Guerrero may be their best player. I like Peru, and their unity is probably their greatest strength, so we are waiting for a match against a team which presents South American football in excellent light,” said Croatia captain Luka Modric.
Interestingly, Peru will play in Group C of the World Cup with France, Denmark and Australia. In the round of 16, this group crosses over with Croatia’s group.
Croatia national team against Peru and Mexico:
Goalkeepers: Danijel Subašić (Monaco), Lovre Kalinić (Gent), Dominik Livaković (Dinamo Zagreb)
Defenders: Domagoj Vida (Bešiktaš), Vedran Ćorluka (Lokomotiv Moskva), Zoran Nižić (Hajduk), Josip Pivarić (Dynamo Kijev), Ivan Strinić (Sampdoria), Šime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen)
Midfielders: Milan Badelj (Fiorentina), Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Mateo Kovačić (Real Madrid), Marko Rog (Napoli), Mario Pašalić (Spartak Moskva), Filip Bradarić (Rijeka), Luka Modrić (Real Madrid)
Attackers: Ivan Perišić (Inter), Ante Rebić (Eintracht), Marko Pjaca (Schalke), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim), Mario Mandžukić (Juventus), Duje Čop (Standard Liege), Nikola Kalinić (Milan)
