FIFA World Cup 2026: Zlatko sees Portugal-Croatia clash as "battle of midfielders"

Ahead of the FIFA World Cup round of 32 clash between Portugal and Croatia, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic sees the match as a "battle of midfielders", pointing out his opponents' tactical greatness in the midfield area.

The Portugal-Croatia clash at Toronto will be a clash between two modern-day football icons, Cristiano Ronaldo and Luka Modric, both in their early 40s, having worn the colours of Spanish giants Real Madrid for several years. However, with age not by their side anymore, this match could be the international swansong for either of these two icons.

For Dalic, the match marks something more than just a Ronaldo-Modric battle; rather, it is a battle of sides with two great midfield players.

"I believe this is going to be a battle of midfielders. Portugal has excellent players in the midfield. They are tactically very good. In this match, each error will be punished," Dalic said on Wednesday during the press conference as quoted by Reuters.

Portugal has a star-studded midfield unit of Bruno Fernandes, Matheus Nunes, Bernardo Silva, Joao Neves, Vitinha, etc.

Croatia has been a resilient side so far, overcoming a 4-2 loss to England in their campaign opener with wins over Panama (1-0) and Ghana (2-1) to make it to the round of 32. On the other hand, Brazil has somewhat not delivered as per the hype yet, playing out a goalless draw against Colombia, the strongest opponent in their group, and played out a 1-1 draw against DR Congo as well, despite taking a lead. They did, however, score a dominant 5-0 win over Uzbekistan.

However, Dalic refuses to take their opponents lightly, saying that "it is a team that wants to possess the ball at all times. This team has a few weaknesses, and can at all times cause risk and danger." (ANI)