Croatia are bidding to make it to the final for the second World Cup in a row after losing in the 2018 showcase match to France.
“We will try to stop them as a team and not with man-marking. Argentina are not only Messi, they have a number of great players. We have to stop the entire Argentina team,” he said. Their midfield comprising captain Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic and Marcelo Brozovic will be key to dictating the pace, as they did against Brazil, and defender Josip Juranovic said the three were utterly dependable.
“I think many people who are not professional footballers can take successful penalties,” Petkovic said. “The difference is how mentally tough you are. There is huge pressure you have never experienced before. But it also helps when you have a world class keeper.”