Croatia Challenge Brazil

Following a performance in the round of 16 that was loaded with swagger and arrogance thanks to Neymar's comeback, Brazil enters Friday's World Cup quarterfinal matchup against Croatia full of confidence. With goals from Vinicius Junior, Richarlison, Lucas Paqueta, and a Neymar penalty, their eye-catching 4-1 triumph over South Korea delivered a chilling message to their opponents in Qatar.

The game was free-flowing and joyful for at least 45 minutes, with the players celebrating their goals by showcasing their dance talents and even getting Tite, their 61-year-old coach, to join in. In certain circles, the Selecao's performance at Doha's Stadium 974 evoked comparisons to the best and most exciting Brazilian teams, from the 1970 squad headed by Pele to the 1982 squad captained by Socrates.

However, it was only one game, and the five-time champions had already lost to Cameroon, their first World Cup opening-round setback since 1998, and had only managed to score three goals in three group games. Brazil will undoubtedly settle for a straightforward victory over Croatia at Education City Stadium, not playing exhibition football, since they are aware of recent World Cup losses.

Brazil has lost to European opponents every time since winning their fifth championship in 2002, including a 7-1 drubbing at the hands of Germany at home in 2014 and a loss to Belgium in Russia four years ago. Neymar stated after the win over South Korea, "We are dreaming of winning the trophy, it is obvious, but we have to go step by step. "The fourth game was played. We still have three, but we are ready. Our thoughts are centered on claiming the crown."

Following an ankle injury sustained in the opening 2-0 triumph over Serbia, Neymar made his way back into the starting lineup for the round of 16, and Danilo's comeback at left-back was almost crucial. For the duration of the competition, Tite has lost another full-back, Alex Telles, although another, Alex Sandro, is currently resuming his training and anticipates returning soon. In such a situation, Eder Militao should leave the side and Danilo would go to right back.

After being forced into extra time in three straight games, Croatia advanced to the final four years ago. On Monday, they needed an extra half-hour and penalties to defeat Japan in the round of 16. The concern right now is that Zlatko Dalic's hardy team, who still play with the same resolve they had four years ago and are still captained by the 37-year-old Luka Modric, might go too far in this game.

"Everyone in the world is aware of Luka Modric's importance, in my opinion. We're proud to have him on the field because he's our team's leader and finest player "Mateo Kovacic remarked. The Chelsea midfielder continued, "We are used to playing really physical games in the Premier League, and that's something we want to display against Brazil. "We want to demonstrate our technical prowess as well, but we also want to demonstrate our physical prowess in each duel and in possession."

Regardless of what transpires, the four million-person nation should be proud of its accomplishment in reaching this point after its 2018 exploits. However, Croatia, who haven't dropped a game since the European Championship last year, thinks they can compete and might take their Nations League victory against France in Paris in June as a model. Kovacic stated, "We need to keep the ball against Brazil. We had a pretty fantastic game there with key ball possession too. It will be a different game in Brazil, but we can still use that strategy.