Croatia take on Belgium in final Euro warm-up – where to watch
- by croatiaweek
- in Sport
Ivan Perišić and Luka Modrić
ZAGREB, 5 June 2021 – Croatia heads to Brussels today for their final Euro 2020 warm up match against Belgium on Sunday night at King Baudouin Stadium.
Croatia drew with Armenia on Tuesday in Velika Gorica and coach Zlatko Dalić will be hoping to head into Euro 2020 next weekend on a high with a win against one of the tournament favourites.
“The match with Belgium is a big test and challenge for us. We are playing against the best national team in the world according to Fifa’s rankings on its field. It will be a very good preparation for England, we have to show our quality and strength, especially in the defensive phase, to resist a strong opponent who has exceptional individuals. That game will show us a lot of things, whether we are on the right path or not,” Dalić said.
The ‘Vatreni’ coach said there would be no experimenting in tomorrow’s match, and the team line-up will resemble that which will take on England next Sunday.
“We will play 4-2-3-1 with a classic striker. We also tried with two half strikers, which is good for us. No more rehearsals and searches. How we will play against England I’m planning to play against Belgium,” Dalić said earlier.
Although it is only a friendly, Dalić says that the result is important.
“The result is always important, as I told the boys before the meeting with Armenia that we have to win in order for the atmosphere to be better. The result brings self-confidence and that is why we will look for the result along with the game,” Dalić added.
Belgium, missing stars Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Thibaut Courtois, drew with Greece 1-1 in their first warm up this week.
Croatia and Belgium previous meetings
Croatia have beaten Belgium three times in their seven encounters, and only once in their last four meetings. Belgium won 2-1 win when the sides last met during qualification for the 2014 World Cup in Zagreb.
Belgium are third favourites behind France and England to win Euro 2020.
Where to watch
Probably starting XI: Livaković – Vrsaljko – Vida – Ćaleta-Car – Barišić – Brozović- Modrić – Vlašić – Perišić – Kramarić – Brekalo/Rebić
The match will be broadcast on Nova TV in Croatia. Kick-off is at 8:45 pm on Sunday, 6 June.
