Scots should be watching the final thinking: If Croatia can do it, we can do it too

Expats from Croatia and France explain why their team deserve your support in today’s World Cup final

I am originally from Donji Miholjac – the same town as defender Domagoj Vida – in the north-east Slavonia region of Croatia.

Croatia and Scotland are very similar nations.

We’re both small, have approximately the same population and are often the underdogs on the world stage.

Big countries dominate everything – politics, the economy and usually sport.

But football can be different and this World Cup proves that.

Croatia is the smallest country to ever reach the final.

That achievement should give every small country hope and encouragement.

Our national team have shown what can be achieved through hard work, determination and, of course, a bit of luck.

Scotland fans should be watching the final and thinking, “If they can do it, we can do it too.”

Our route to the final has not been easy but you wouldn’t expect it to be.

We don’t have superstars in our squad, there is no Messi or Ronaldo.

But we do have talented players who have shown great togetherness to beat the odds and are now on the verge of something historic.

I thought about going to Moscow or back to Croatia to watch the match.

But I decided to stay here, in London, and watch it at home with my son Toni.

He is 13 and this is an occasion he will remember for the rest of his life.

What a great memory for him to have – even if the result doesn’t go the way we want it to.

But I think we will win. This Croatia team fight for each other and that is a quality Scottish fans will appreciate.

World Cups are usually swapped between the game’s superpowers – so we shouldn’t be in the final. It’s not in the script.

No one would have predicted it, so it’s hard to believe we’re just one game away from winning the trophy.

I know historically there has been a close association between Scotland and France, I have heard of the Auld Alliance.

But don’t forget, we prevented your great rivals England from winning the World Cup when we beat them in the semi-final.

So there is only one team Scotland should be supporting today – Croatia.