Luka Modrić: Croatia ready for Portugal clash at the World Cup

Croatia captain Luka Modrić has shared his thoughts ahead of the 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match against Portugal. The midfielder acknowledged the quality of their opponents but emphasized his team's determination to fight for the win.

They are a phenomenal, great team. We will fight and give our all. I didn't have a preference for who we would face. I'm sure they aren't very happy to see us on the other side of the pitch either. Luka Modrić

Modrić stressed that this official match will be a completely different story compared to previous friendly encounters between the two nations. According to the captain, the stakes of the World Cup change the nature of the contest entirely.

We have nothing to fear, we will just give our maximum and see what happens. We have played them before, but friendly matches are a different matter. Official games, especially at the World Cup, are not another sport, but it's a completely different story. Luka Modrić

The match between Croatia and Portugal is scheduled for July 3, with kick-off at 02:00 Kyiv time.