Croatia and Mexico meet on Monday in Arena Pernambuco in a game that will likely decide who qualifies in second place of Group A – providing Brazil follow the script and beat Cameroon in Brasilia.
These teams are no strangers in the World Cup. They faced each other in 2002, a game that ended with a 1-0 victory for the Latin American side, eventual winners of the group, while the Europeans were eliminated after finishing third.
Mexico arrive to this game with the advantage of knowing a draw would be enough to seal their ticket to the round of 16. They have a full strength squad to choose from and coach Miguel Herrera has stated he does not plan to make changes to his starting 11 from the previous two matches.
Mexico are one of only two teams yet to concede a goal in the tournament, but they have lacked attacking power, scoring only once, with Manchester United star Javier Hernandez still only considered good enough for a place on the bench.
“You [can] win with [just one] goal. Spain were champions by winning by one [goal, in 2010], so what’s important is scoring the goal before the opponent and keeping a clean sheet at the back. That’s the most important thing,” said Herrera in a press conference.
Croatia had no such problems in front of goal as their attack exploded against Cameroon in a 4-0 rout, but Mexico’s draw with Brazil renders goal difference irrelevant heading into their final Group A fixture.
Niko Kovac knows his side need to beat Mexico to reach the last 16, assuming Cameroon do not produce a miracle against Brazil. They come into the game confident and boasting plenty of attacking firepower in the form of Mario Mandzukic, Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric.
“The pressure is similar to the opening match,” admitted Rakitic. “We need to win to proceed to the next round. We are ready and we know it will be a difficult game against Mexico. We must play perfectly, we want to win and I hope we accomplish it.”
