Croatia's coach says Brazil is terrifying: "best team in the World Cup"
"They are a great team, but I believe we can challenge them, we need to be smart... The match isn't 50-50, but we're not underdogs either," said Zlatko Dalic.
DOHA (Reuters) - Croatia's national team coach, Zlatko Dalic, described Brazil, their opponent in the World Cup quarterfinals in Qatar, as "terrifying," but believes his team can rise to the challenge.
Croatia beat Japan on penalties on Monday.Following a 1-1 draw after extra time, tournament favorites and five-time champions Brazil sent a threatening message to their rivals. with a dazzling 4-1 victory over South Korea.
Dalic, who led Croatia to the 2018 final, had said, after the victory over Japan, that he would prefer to face South Korea instead of Brazil for a place in the semifinals.
"Brazil is the favorite, we're going to face them," Dalic told reporters on Tuesday. "Brazil is the most powerful and best team in the World Cup."
>> The Brazilian national team reminded us what it's like to watch Brazil's best players on the field.
"What I've seen so far, when you look at the choice of players, their quality, skill and value, is truly terrifying," he said.
"I think we have a big test ahead of us, a difficult task against a team that plays great football with so many good, high-quality, and fast players."
At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Croatia came from behind three times to advance after extra time in the knockout stages of the tournament, before losing to France in the final.
They beat Denmark and Russia on penalties and defeated England in extra time on their way to the final, and that resilience was needed again to subdue a hard-fought Japanese team.
"Brazil has self-confidence, a splendid atmosphere in the team, which is visible, as well as the best players... However, we will not give in. I think we have nothing to fear," added Dalic.
"We need to go into the game with a lot of faith, self-confidence, and looking for our chances, taking advantage of the opportunity to play against Brazil, that's it. (It's) too early, if only it were the final," he said.
"They're a great team, but I believe we can challenge them, we need to be smart... The match isn't 50-50, but we're not underdogs either."
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