Rate England very highly but we know how to play against them, proclaims Luka Modric
Ahead of Croatia’s Euro 2020 clash against England, Luka Modric has revealed that while he does rate the Three Lions highly, the Vatreni know how to play against Gareth Southgate’s side. The duo have faced each other ten times since 1996, with England winning five games along the way.
When England were drawn against Croatia in Group D, fans of both sides have been excited to watch them, play especially given the way the Three Lions have improved since the last time the duo faced each other at a major tournament. It’s been called the re-match of the 2018 World Cup semi-final, even though England beat Croatia in the UEFA Nations’ league three years ago.
However, either way, the game pits one of the tournament’s favourites against an underdog especially with a raft of players from Croatia’s 2018 team having either retired or not picked. Yet despite that, it saw Luka Modric admit that he believes his side have more than enough to beat the Three Lions when they face each other on Sunday. The midfielder also added that there is no denying England’s strength with them one of the favourites but Croatia won’t back down.
"I rate them very highly. For sure, they are one of the favourites for this tournament. That doesn't mean we are not going there to try to play a great game and try to get a result. We have showed in the past we can do that and we know how to play against England. Hopefully we can show it again on Sunday,” Modric said, reported the BBC.Â
With Wembley set to host a large portion of the games, it will effectively see England playing at home with the first-two group matches, two last of 16 ties, the semi-finals and the final all being played there. It saw Modric admit that he believes England have an unfair advantage and that it’s a shame that there won’t be a lot of Croatia supporters at the game.
"I think so, yes (when asked about if England have an unfair advantage with fans present). It's a shame there won't be a lot of Croatia supporters because we always feel their presence when they are there. But it is how it is. We need to focus on the pitch and don't get bothered about the environment,” he added.