Ahead of their Group D clash in Saint-Etienne on Friday, Croatia and Czech Republic UAE-based fans give their verdict on the game.
To gain an insight into the mindset of the fans we asked UAE fans to share with us their predictions, likely line-ups and players to watch.
Do you agree or have they missed the mark? Use #360Fans to share with us your thoughts.
CROATIA – Tino Andjic (Business Director, Dubai)
Turkey is history and now Croatia await our trickiest match in Group D against Czech Republic. It is a proverbial “in-between” game against a less formidable opponent. It is a trap waiting to happen.
For that reason our manager Ante Cacic keeps saying that he is more afraid of Czech Republic than of Turkey. They displayed high work rate and a well-organised defence against Spain. Centre-back Roman Hubnik and goalkeeper Petr Cech played particularly well, but we still haven’t seen what they can do up front.
The Czechs will have to be more adventurous if they want to keep their tournament hopes alive and Croatia should be able to count on their opponents being ambitious going forward. The Czechs kept Spain at bay for most of the match, but in comparison Croatia attempt to play through balls a lot more which I think can trouble their backline – Ivan Perisic and Marko Pjaca (if he’ll play) have the speed and the skill to get something going on the flanks.
Whoever starts, confidence is high in our camp that, eventually, we’ll be able to break through the Czech defence.
PREDICTION: Croatia 2-0 Czech Republic
LIKELY CROATIA XI: Subasic, Vrsaljko, Corluka, Vida, Strinic, Modric, Brozovic, Pjaca, Rakitic, Perisic, Mandzukic
CROATIA PLAYER TO WATCH: Luka Modric – We don’t need to say it out loud as it is something that every Croatian knows. But Modric was absolutely superb against Turkey and capped it off with a wonderful goal. He is a player of enormous talent and influence.
CZECH PLAYER TO FEAR: Tomas Rosicky. The Arsenal midfielder is the heart of the Czech team, with a gravitational pull that sees the ball always move towards him – a little like Modric. He didn’t have a good game against Spain or a good club season, but he is still a formidable player.
WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME: The Crown and Lion at the Byblos Hotel has everything that watching a game requires.
CZECH REPUBLIC – Ondřej Piškula (Football Coach, Dubai)
We didn’t have much luck in our opening game against Spain, conceding a goal three minutes before full-time to lose the game. It was heartbreaking really as the team performance was really great – the XI players came together as one and I think we deserved a draw.
The second group match against Croatia will be different, our coach Pavel Vrba insisting that we are going to play more offensively. If we repeat the great team spirit from the previous match, add a better attacking approach and our players deliver the quality and potential they have, we will be celebrating victory at the end of the game.
We need to be aware of the strength of the Croatian team in attack, with top midfielders Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, as well as their marksman Mario Mandzukic. Our defence will also have a lot of work to do again but I believe this time we will have all the answers, and nick a narrow win.
PREDICTION: Croatia 0-1 Czech Republic
LIKELY CZECH REPULIC XI: Čech, Kadeřábek, Sivok, Hubník, Gebre Selassie, Plašil, Darida, Dočkal, Rosický, Krejčí, Lafata
CZECH REPUBLIC PLAYER TO WATCH: Ladislav Krejčí – Our offensive left-midfielder is a very important part of the team. His ability to deliver accurate passes is just amazing and he is a tireless athlete with great technique, vision and awareness, who has ability to read the game perfectly.
CROATIA PLAYER TO WATCH: Ivan Rakitič – The Barcelona midfielder will be the key player for Croatia. It is very hard to predict his game and he is also a great finisher from both inside the box and from distance. It will be great to see him on the pitch but I hope we will stop him from playing.
WHERE TO WATCH THE GAME: Wavebreaker, Hotel Hilton JBR (Czech food and beer is the best option!)
