Iceland and Croatia face off at the World Cup on Tuesday with the former’s hopes of qualifying for the knockout stages hanging by a thread.
A win may not be enough for them, whereas Croatia’s players can approach the game in a relaxed manner having already qualified.
Here are the key players who could tilt the tie.
Gylfi Sigurdsson v Andrej Kramaric
Sigurdsson will carry all of Iceland’s hopes on his shoulders, and even if they are the least populous country at the World Cup, that’s a heavy burden, especially as he hasn’t been at his sparkling best so far. Iceland have always emphasised the importance of the collective, but they do have a star player. He needs to deliver a win on Tuesday.
Andrej Kramaric was dropped from the starting XI for Croatia’s win over Argentina, but he’ll likely earn a recall on Tuesday with manager Zlatko Dalic expected to rest some of his star players. His combined five goals and assists during qualifying were joint-top for Croatia. The former Leicester City man is a reliable scorer but also a handy creator of goals, much like Sigurdsson.
Aron Gunnarsson v Mateo Kovacic
Iceland’s inspirational captain will want to deliver a trademark all-action performance to lead his side into the knockout stages on Tuesday. At his best Gunnarsson can be everywhere on the pitch, delivering telling crosses, driving forward from the centre, and helping his defence whenever needed. He was strangely quiet against Nigeria, and he’ll want to make amends.
Mateo Kovacic has endured a frustrating World Cup, much like his club season with Real Madrid. When Dalic opted for only two central midfielders against Nigeria, it was obvious Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric would get the nod, but seeing Marcelo Brozovic picked ahead of him as a third midfielder against Argentina must have been disheartening. With Croatia likely to rotate, this will be Kovacic’s chance to shine.
Ragnar Sigurdsson v Dejan Lovren
Ragnar Sigurdsson is a typical warrior-like Icelandic defender, and against Nigeria he showed how he’s earned that tag as he played on after suffering a serious-looking blow to the head. He’s a doubt for this crucial clash, but Iceland will hope he’s fit to play. At his best he’s the sort of vocal, commanding leader every defence needs.
Dejan Lovren’s form has improved leaps and bounds since the turn of the year, and although at club level that was put down to the arrival of Dutchman Virgil Van Dijk at Liverpool, he’s replicated that form for Croatia over the last two games. The assured performance he put up against Lionel Messi and Argentina was one the best displays of his career.
