Croatia to protect players

Pivotal encounter
After the disappointment of a goalless draw against Switzerland in their opening fixture on Sunday, Otto Baric and his coaching staff believe the contest against England in Lisbon on 21 June will prove pivotal to their hopes of progress. As such assistant coach Drazen Ladic confirmed that Baric is likely to spare some of his squad a risky outing in Leiria.

No pressure
He said: "I believe one or two players from the first eleven against Switzerland will certainly miss the game against France as we should avoid getting yellow cards." Ladic added: "Our goal is to stay undefeated against France but we will play without pressure because we're not favourites. It would not be a tragedy to lose to a team like that."

Cautioned players
In all, five players are on a caution including striker Dado Pršo and left-back Boris Živkovic. The remaining trio are all midfielders with Ivica Mornar, Milan Rapaic and Nenad Bjelica all one yellow card away from suspension. Centre-back Igor Tudor will be available after serving a ban against the Swiss. However, there is a slight injury doubt over defender Dario Šimic, who has a minor thigh injury and missed training yesterday.

'Tough match'
Speaking at the Croatia camp in Couço, Ladic revealed that plenty of attention had been paid to France's 2-1 defeat of England on Sunday night. "It was an impressive game, a kind of chess game with calculated moves," he said. "But it was also a tough and hard match for both teams, and it now seems that our game against England will decide who reaches the second round."

Speed needed
A former goalkeeper, Ladic played an important part in helping Croatia finish third at the 1998 FIFA World Cup. He believed pace would prove vital if the current Croatian side were to produce a similar run. "France and England are the favourites," he said. "We need to play with speed and get the ball moving forward quickly to stay in the matches."