Croatia’s football team gears up for World Cup with Modrić praised by coach

Former Slovenia coach Matjaž Kek, now head coach of Rijeka, reviewed Croatia’s 2‑1 friendly win over Slovenia, highlighting captain Luka Modrić’s influence and stating that the team is ready for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in North America, where Croatia will join England, Panama and Ghana in Group F.

On HRT, former goalkeeper‑turned‑analyst Tomislav Ivković called Brazil the tournament favorite, warned that the expansion to 48 teams will dilute quality, and labeled Germany a possible surprise and Argentina a disappointment. Fellow analyst Krunoslav Rendulić expected Spain to win, the Netherlands to surprise, and also predicted France’s Kylian Mbappé to be both the best player and top scorer, while deeming Germany a likely let‑down.