Kovač: "Croatia will try to impose its style of play"

Croatia head coach Niko Kovač and midfielder Ivan Rakitić held the press conference ahead of the friendly match with Switzerland in St. Gallen.

"We will give a chance to a couple of players that spend less time on the pitch. I expect Croatia to continue where it has left off versus Iceland in Zagreb. Switzerland is a stronger team than Iceland, but they also had problems against Iceland. This will be a good test to check our level of play", said Kovač.

"Croatia will try to impose its style of play, but we have to see whether Switzerland allows it. We will try to hold firm in both offence and defence, there is no reason the change what was good against Iceland. The guys have already accepted some things", he added.

Announcing the Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subašić will start the match, Kovač emphasized his admiration for his former coach, Ottmar Hitzfeld:

"We got along very well, even after I left Bayern. I spoke to him before the Iceland match, he had time to talk to my assistant Robert and myself, and gave us all the advice he could".

Croatia international Ivan Rakitić, the captain of the Spanish side Sevilla, began his career in Switzerland, as a Basel player.

"I am glad to have returned to the football scene in Switzerland. I always want to win and nothing will be changed in my preparations before the match, and on the other hand, here I'll meet a lot of friends and former teammates. This match is important for both Switzerland and Croatia, as a part of World Cup preparations. The most important thing, however, is hard work, to show that we are on the right path".

The St. Gallen match will be an excellent test for both sides, said Rakitić:

"Switzerland is a quality team, and it will be a difficult match. They did not qualify for the World Cup by accident, they have a great coach and will be ready for this challenge, but so will we - that is why we came here. Coach Hitzfeld comes from German football and requests hard work and discipline, which is one of the greatest Swiss qualities".

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