Bilić wise to Polish mind games

'They have a chance'
The Poles not only need all three points to join Croatia in the last eight, they must win by more clear goals than Austria beat Germany by - leading Beenhakker to plead with Bilić to field his mother-in-law as a striker at the Wörthersee Stadion. "Well, I'm divorced," countered the charismatic Croatia trainer. "He's a great manager. He's playing games, of course, because they have a good team. They were almost equal to Germany [in their opening match]. They conceded easy goals but they had enough chances to score. They have a chance and they have a team, so he doesn't need my mother-in-law."

Polish motivation
Bilić also questioned Beenhakker's statement that his side were effectively eliminated after a last-gasp Ivica Vastic penalty for Austria denied them a vital win on Thursday. "I don't know why he said that. It was his logical reaction after the match, but I'm sure they'll be motivated and fight to the last because they're still in it. This is the EURO and there are masses of supporters from Poland here. Everything is there for them to play their best game. If you play your first match against Germany and your second against the hosts, then all you can hope for is to go into the third one with a chance of going through. Poland have a chance - they're not out of this yet."

'Playing for our country'
In terms of who will make up his starting eleven, Bilić indicated that his players on yellow cards would likely be rested, which ought to rule out Robert Kovač, Josip Šimunić, Luka Modrić, Darijo Srna and Jerko Leko. Modrić and Srna also missed regular training with slight knocks, as did striker Igor Budan, but none are rated as serious concerns. "If there was a game today, they would play," said Bilić, before stressing that his team will be hungry to win despite knowing a quarter-final berth awaits them either way: "We want to continue getting successful results. We're not playing for honour. We're playing for points and we're playing for our country. Every game you play for your country is important."