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Croatia team analysis and stats
It is easy to say that the team is stacked with two best midfielders in the world. They are arguably the best midfield pairing at the moment. Luka Modric(2 goals in 5 matches) already has three man of the match trophies in a total of five matches in this World Cup while Ivan Rakitic(84.9% passing success rate and 1 goal) is making the team tick with his mastery in the middle of the park. With a total of 10 team goals till their quarter-final win against Russia, they are the only two teams left in the semi-finals to have scored in every game in this World Cup. There is no doubt that they will be a threat in front of goal.
The Croatian team also have high level experience of players playing for European elite teams like Liverpool, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, etc. in their disposal. They have won nine Champions Leagues between them, compared to England’s one. So, they have got quality in almost most of the important positions in their team. The fact that Modric(19), Rebic(17) and Rakitic(12) has attempted more dribbles than England's highest dribbler Raheem Sterling(12 dribbles) will help the Croatians in crucial situations of the game. In addition, their confidence will also be high after having back-to-back penalty shoot-out wins against resolute opponents.
The only problem that Zlatko is facing is the prospect of playing extra-time once again because he knows it will eventually take a toll on his players, unlike the English players. The Croatian players will hope to score early to have an advantage against a very good England defence. Also after some lazy defending for the goals conceded against Russia during the quarter-finals, Zlatko will want his defenders to up the ante in the semi-finals.
