Čačić: "Croatia believes in qualifying success"

In the final two rounds of 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, Croatia hosts Finland on 6 October in Rijeka and visits Ukraine on 9 October in Kiev.

Croatia head coach Ante Čačić had to remove injured Borna Barišić from the squad, while Dejan Lovren will skip Finland encounter due to a back problem. Duje Ćaleta-Car was therefore promoted from Croatia U-21 to the senior squad. Nikola Kalinić awaits MRI scan in Milano.

"There hasn't been an international break without several injured players. We'll see if Lovren will be available for Ukraine match. Pivarić has a small ankle problem, but we expect him to be ready. Considering our finishing, I was convinced that our players like Mandžukić, Kalinić, Perišić, or Brozović will start scoring in September. Regardless of problems, we have quality players who can cope with any challenge. If we play at our maximum level, the outcome will be positive, and we'll reach Russia from the top position in the group", says Čačić.

Croatia is completely focused on Finland, even though the Ukraine match could be the key.

"Finland is in a positive mood, they have nothing to lose and feel no pressure. No one managed to defeat them convincingly, including us, and they will once again be disciplined and have to be taken seriously. Preparations for Ukraine start after Finland. We are happy to host them in Rijeka, with quality pitch that will allow us to play quickly", head coach continued.

"In this qualifying campaign, Croatia was never outplayed. We've lost to an unusual goal in Turkey, we did not deserve to lose in Iceland either - they have scored with a shoulder, and we still have everything in our hands and believe in success. Croatia has quality and motivation. Heads up - the only important thing is to reach Russia", he added.

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