Croatia visits Iceland: "No excuses, everybody will do his job"

Croatia visits Iceland in the sixth round of Group I matches, with the two teams topping the table: Croatia leading on 13 points, second-placed Iceland trailing three.

"Our team is aware of Iceland qualities, especially set-pieces. Unity is their main strength, they do not surrender until the final whistle - more than any other team. However, if Croatia manages to keep up with this level of commitment, then our quality should prevail. It is important to play responsibly every single match, and we'll try to dominate and create chances, seeking the win as we always do", said Croatia head coach Ante Čačić.

"I am calm despite the injuries of a couple of our most important players. We have quality strong-willed players, who play for Croatia with passion and pride. I am convinced they will not fail, since we all put team objectives first", he added.

Captain Luka Modrić rejoices the chance to defend Croatia colours once again, regardless of the fatigue.

"We have prepared well and look forward to this match. This is probably the most important game of this qualifying round, a positive result would bring us close to Russia. We'll be missing the injured players, but we have quality replacements and I am sure everybody will do his job. It is difficult to play in June, but there can be no excuses - we have to focus and present Croatia in the best possible light - just like we did in previous qualifiers", he says.

"Having faced Iceland on a couple of occasions, I can say they are a tough team, difficult to beat - especially in Reykjavik. They stand together, with Gylfi Sigurdsson as the star of German and English top tier. Iceland is very aggressive team, and Croatia has to respond in the same manner in order to present quality. We respect Iceland, but we came to win, and I believe we can achieve that", concluded Modrić.

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