“What state of mind will you be in in 24 hours before you play for your survival in this Euro?
It will be a tough game but we are all in good shape and ready to beat Italy. Apart from Domagoj Vida who will not be able to play (he was hit in the ankle during training). We know the situation: if we don’t beat Italy, it’s elimination at the end of this match, with no possibility of extension. We must therefore take three points to continue in this Euro. We don’t want to go home so soon. It will be a historic match.
Do you share the view of Luciano Spalletti, the Italy coach, who said it will be a tactical game?
First of all, I want to congratulate him for his achievements and all the trophies he won, including the title of Italian champion with Napoli (in 2023). Yes, we know that Italy is a tactical team and that its strong point is the defense. Italy needs only one point. We will try not to be exposed to his game. We will have to be patient, remain calm and not fall into the trap of provocation. This is not the true face of Italy we saw against Spain (0-1, June 20). I expect a more or less similar starting lineup. But what interests me is my team.
Speaking of which, what has changed between Croatia today and the 2022 World Cup?
In Qatar, we only conceded one goal after three games in the group stage (Croatia was in Morocco, Belgium and Canada). Ivan Perisic was in brilliant form. In Germany, the players are two years older, we play against very strong opponents, and the problem is that we easily concede too many goals. Against Italy, we will therefore have to do everything possible not to concede the first goal. As was the case during our first two matches in this EC.
Do you feel a lot of pressure?
Yes, because we have to go through this group stage, for the fans who will still come to support us in Leipzig and for the country. We expect an aggressive Italian team, but I believe in my players, in their ability to play our game, to play these types of games well and to return to our main goal: to get through this group stage. We have played historic matches for years. Because for us every match is historic. »
“We don’t think about the fact that this could be Luka Modric’s last international match”
Mateo Kovacic, Croatian midfielder
Mateo Kovacic (Croatian midfielder): “Not the end of our generation”
“It will be a pleasure for me to meet some players that I played with, friends like Jorginho, who I played with for years and with whom I had a good relationship, on and off the pitch. (at Chelsea, from 2018 to 2023). This match will not be easy because Italy are well organized. But we know what we have to do. We don’t think about the fact that this could be Luka Modric’s last international game. We are happy that he is with us on the pitch. Some people have age. But the most important thing is to know how they feel and to focus on Italy. It will be an honor to wear the Croatia shirt tomorrow (Monday) evening, against a quality Italy. We know that our midfield is no longer as compact as before and that our play suffered in the first two games. But we still have a third game. We are not thinking about the end of our generation, but about this battle that we must win. »
