World Cup 2018 Quarter-Finals Preview: Team-By-Team Guide

Croatia

Luca Modric, Croatia's star player

Pre-Tournament

Croatia arrived at the World Cup with cautious optimism. They had struggled through qualification, coming second to Iceland in a weak qualifying group before comfortably dispatching Greece over two legs in a playoff match. However, with game-changers such as Modric and Rakitic in their squad, the Croatians felt they could go toe-to-toe with anyone on the world's biggest stage.

The Story So Far

It seemed like Croatia's destiny was written before a ball was kicked at the World Cup. They would finish second in their group behind Argentina and face France in the round of 16 where their journey would come to its conclusion. However, the Croatians were writing their own script and blitzed through their group, beating Iceland, Argentina, and Nigeria to finish top with maximum points.

Thier group stage performances rewarded them with a last 16 tie against Denmark which proved a more difficult assignment than expected. A frantic opening 5 minutes saw both sides score and the game remained deadlocked at 1-1 to take the match to a penalty shootout. A narrow and nervy 3-2 win on penalties saw Croatia enter the quarter-finals and set up a showdown with the hosts, Russia.

What's Next

In any other circumstance, Croatia would enter a match against Russia and clear and strong favorites. However, the hosts have shown that home advantage can prove a massive advantage and Croatia will play this tie against the backdrop of a noisy home crowd. If they can eliminate nerves and settle into their game quickly, they should have enough to overpower the host nation and enter the Semi-Finals only the second time in their history.