Ivan Perisic has talked up Croatia’s hopes of winning the 2022 FIFA World Cup for captain Luka Modric as Lionel Messi eyes glory with Argentina.
Vatreni will head into the competition’s semi-finals and face Argentina on Tuesday, 13 December, at the Lusail Stadium.
It is the second consecutive FIFA World Cup tournament that Croatia have made it into the last four.
Modric, 37, has been at the forefront of the national team’s recent success. He has started all five of the side’s fixtures.
The Croatian has earned 160 international caps, scoring 23 goals and providing 25 assists.
He will go toe-to-toe with Messi’s Argentina on Tuesday, with the winner facing Morocco or France in the final on 18 December.
The 35-year-old attacker has been scintillating, scoring four goals and providing an assist in five appearances.
The Argentine icon is yet to win the FIFA World Cup, which may be his last opportunity to do so as he reaches the latter stages of his career.
Perisic has been speaking ahead of Croatia’s clash with Argentina on Tuesday.
He touched on the Argentina captain’s eagerness to win the tournament when explaining Croatia’s desire to achieve glory with Modric.
The Tottenham Hotspur wideman said (via MadridXtra):
“Cristiano couldn’t win it. Messi is trying with Argentina. We will give our everything to win the World Cup for Modrić.”
Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal made a shock exit from the quarter-finals of the FIFA World Cup after suffering a 1-0 defeat to Morocco.
One of Modric or Messi will be the next big-name player to be eliminated from the tournament in Qatar.
Modric claims that Croatia are prepared to take on Messi’s Argentina
The excitement is building toward the first semi-final of the FIFA World Cup between Croatia and Argentina.
Modric has spoken to the media ahead of the game and was asked about playing against Messi.
The Real Madrid midfielder insisted that he doesn’t want to play against just one player.
He said:
“Argentina are a big team. I don’t just want to play against one player. Of course, Leo Messi is very big, their best player, and we’re going to have a lot of difficulties to stop him, but we’re prepared, and we’re going to give it our all. Let’s go to try to make the best match of the tournament of our lives. I hope it will be enough to be in the final.”
Croatia knows all about facing La Albiceleste at the FIFA World Cup, having beaten the South American side 3-0 in the group stage of the 2018 tournament.
This may be a good omen for the Europeans, who will be underdogs against the competition’s new favorites.
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