Kovacic says Croatia 'not afraid' of Spain
Mateo Kovacic insists Croatia is "not afraid of anyone" as it prepares to face world champion Spain in the Nations League.
Spain is the dominant figure in world football at the moment, having clinched its second World Cup over the summer with a 1-0 win over Argentina in the final.
It is on a 39-match unbeaten streak, the longest such run by a European nation in history.
Croatia won its opening Nations League match 2-1 against Czechia, and sits level on points with Spain, which enjoyed a 3-2 comeback win over England.
Kovacic, however, is not shying away from the challenge ahead of the team.
"Of course. Spain, right now, is the best team in the world," he said. "There's nothing better than playing against the best.
"It will be a difficult match against the best team in the world. But it will be difficult for them too. We have played against them several times, and sometimes we have done very well. Hopefully, we can repeat that.
"We're not afraid of anyone. We respect everyone. Spain is a very strong team. They're very united. They're a top team, but we'll focus on our own game."
Asked if getting a win on Tuesday would be impossible, Kovacic said: "No.
"We know about the 39 games without losing, but I don't want to dwell on that; I want to focus on our game and take the ball away from them."
Spain is unbeaten in its last three meetings with Croatia, winning two and drawing the other – though it eventually won that match on penalties in the Nations League.
Croatia's last win against Spain did come in this competition, winning 3-2 in November 2018.
Slaven Bilic is confident Spain is not unbeatable if Croatia can get its game plan right.
"Spain has some strengths that can be exploited, as England showed," Bilic said. "We don't need a miracle; we need faith. We've played great matches against them. Matches are long.
"Against the Czechs, there were moments when we didn't know how to suffer. We can't repeat that. We know they'll have possession, but it can't always be theirs.
"We must have confidence in what we do, in ourselves."
Mateo Kovačić
Croatia
