Zlatko Dalić's men will meet Argentina, Iceland, and Nigeria in the upcoming World Cup next summer, with Croatia head coach immediately offering a short analysis of the draw:
"It is an immense pleasure and honour just to be among the 32 best teams in the world, but Croatia deserves this. The draw ceremony was beautiful, and the outcome could have been better and could have been worse. We have nothing to lose against Messi's Argentina, since they are one of the top teams and favourites to win the World Cup, and facing the best player in the world is a great challenge. Croatia, however, has to believe, has to play at the maximum level, and then we can achieve great things."
"We have to analyse Nigeria in detail, yet we are aware that they have finished the qualifying round without a single defeat. They are young, led by a German coach. On the other hand, we know Iceland very well, and now we have the opportunity to respond regarding the recent Reykjavik defeat. The most important thing is to have our players fit and at the top level", says Dalić.
HNS president Davor Šuker feels that the draw could have hardly been worse for Croatia.
"This is probably the toughest group at the World Cup, all teams are very much respectable. Moreover, what can we say about facing Lionel Messi, who can make a deciding move in any match. Nigeria remain a bit unknown, but for sure they have quality, considering their qualifying record. With Iceland we have certain qualifying experience and I am glad we got them in our group", he said.
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