Perisic says Croatia's advantage is that they have already beaten Spain

June 18 - Ivan Perisic says Croatia have nothing to worry about because of their experience against Spain.

In the semi-finals of the last four, the Croatians eliminated the Netherlands with a spectacular 4-2 victory in extra time and they relish the opportunity to win silverware for the first time, after reaching the last four of the World. Cut three times.

"We have nothing to fear," Perisic told a press conference. “We have been playing almost 10 years together. The Spanish team has a lot of new young players, but they are playing for a big club. I am sure we will find the necessary energy. Yes, we have more experience than them, having been vice-world champion 2018 and then third in Qatar.

"We may have a small comparative advantage, but no one is really the favorite against Spain."

The Croatians will once again be able to count on the support of their fans. Against the Netherlands, around 15,000 Vatreni supporters attended the semi-finals, but Sunday could see an invasion of Croatian fans in the Dutch port city with up to 25,000 supporters expected. "We have extra motivation when you see so many fans coming to a different country," Perisic commented.

The World Cup bronze medalists will be without Josko Gvardiol, who had to withdraw through injury, but they remain confident of a positive result against Spain.

"We had a great World Cup in Qatar, where we were a team that played great games and got great results," Dalic said. "I think our game hasn't changed much since then.

"But I think over the last few years the team has built a kind of continuity and become a footballing superpower, so I'm really happy about that."

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