Dalić and Lovren: "With the stakes this high, nobody is tired"

Zlatko Dalić

"Croatia has excellent players in some of the Europe's biggest clubs and it is no surprise to see us in the semifinals, despite the lack of real success in previous major competitions since 1998. This generation proved its quality when they really had to, and will be remembered as the generation that finally repeated that success. Moreover, Luka Modrić is probably playing the best football of his career. We are a team that stands together and doesn't give up. Vrsaljko still has a small problem with his knee, and we'll decide on his appearance before the match. However, there are no excuses, we will not say that we are tired. We can get even more tired"

"We are aware of England qualities and this will be a different match, compared to our encounters with Iceland, Denmark, and Russia. We will accept this, take care of set-piece, but there is no reason for pressure. We came to the World Cup to play football, to rejoice, and we'll see what is the outcome. Croatia is a country where anything is possible, with four million people celebrating in the streets make us proud. These emotions carry us throughout the tournament, and I'm convinced we deserved to be here. I cannot imagine what it would be like to become world champions. We are also thankful to Russia, for everything we have experienced here. The welcome was beautiful in every city"

Dejan Lovren

"I can only imagine the atmosphere in England, but Croatian people also expect much from this game. It will be tough, but interesting, for both sides. I've met many England internationals in Premiership matches, and we are very aware of their qualities, I can only praise them further. We fully respect Kane, but he is not the only threat. Croatia, on the other hand, does not want to stop here, we want to achieve more. The manager believes in us - he did so when few others did - and we do the best we can. The Croatian people never had it easy, and we want to bring them some joy, including a medal. We've had a chance to recover from two tough, long matches. When the stakes are this high, nobody is tired. It's once in a lifetime opportunity. Russia deserves all the praise for a great organization of the World Cup"

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