Dalic’s side hope to rock goalkeeper Pickford

MOSCOW: Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic has said that the team fancy their chances of putting a goal past Jordan Pickford in today’s World Cup semifinal.

Mandzukic and the one-time Leicester City striker Andrej Kramaric spoke respectfully of England at their press conference in Moscow but said the Everton goalkeeper’s goal was breachable.

Mandzukic, the Juventus forward, said: “We’ve seen that he (Pickford) is doing very well at the World Cup. He has good potential and I’m sure he has a bright future. (But) I believe someone will find a way to surprise him.”

Kramaric said the pressure on his team had been lifted after they passed the last 16, and they were now simply enjoying their World Cup adventure which has taken them to the semi-finals for the first time since 1998.

“The biggest pressure for us was in the game against Denmark in the round of 16 .... now we are enjoying what is happening,” he said. “When the game starts, there will be a bit of pressure but we are enjoying the fact that we are here in the World Cup semi-finals.

“It would be a fantastic achievement for Croatia to play the World Cup final, it’s our dream and we will do the best to fulfil it.”

The players rejected the idea — put to them several times — that Croatia’s greater experience could make a critical difference today.

“England was one of the favourites for me before tournament because they have a young, hungry team with no international movie stars,” Mandzukic said.

But the forward, who was in the side which knocked Tottenham’s Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Kieran Trippier out of last season’s Champions League, said his teammates did say that they would recover from back-to-back games which have gone to extra time and penalties.

As Zlatko Dalic’s side trained on Monday, Croatia goalkeeper and national hero Danijel Subasic showed no sign of struggling with the hamstring problem which affected during the latter stages of the quarter final win against Russia. He is expected to start.

Croatia’s problems may reside at the back of the team, where Liverpool’s Dejan Lovren will remember the way Kane destroyed him for Spurs at Wembley last autumn.

Mandzukic said: “It’s difficult to compare clubs with the national team. We know every England player, respect them as a team and individuals. It’s a 50:50 chance. England deserve to be here. We deserve to be here.”

Meanwhile, Fifa are investigating Croatia defender Domagoj Vida after a second video emerged where he shouts ‘Glory to Ukraine” and ‘Belgrade burns’ in footage that could further enrage World Cup hosts Russia, who are in a state of war with the nation.

Croatia have already apologised once on behalf of Vida after he appeared in a video alongside coach Ognjen Vukojevic, who dedicated Croatia’s World Cup quarter-final win over Russia to Ukraine.

Vukojevic was sent home and fined by Fifa but Vida, at present, is clear to play against England in the semi-final today in Moscow.