The Croatian national football team arrived in China on Monday after a lengthy trip to Nanning for the first ever China Cup. On Wednesday, Croatia will play in the semifinals against Chile.
In Nanning, coach Ante Čačić and Dinamo defender Josip Pivarić held a press conference at which they announced the upcoming match against Chile, reports Index.hr on January 9, 2017.
"I am pleased that Croatia was invited to the premiere edition of the China Cup although it is not maintained as part of the FIFA timeframe and it is difficult to bring together the best players. However, we have done everything to bring together a team that will represent a decent Croatian football team,” said coach Čačić who added:
"The national team is mainly composed of players from the MAXtv First League which is unknown to Chile as they are to us, but our players will do everything for a good match to the satisfaction of all the fans of football in China."
On questions regarding the ambitions of the Croatian team at the upcoming tournament, Čačić answered:
“All the teams have come with the ambition to be the best possible, and in this effort, to take hold of the victory and the trophy. We have come with the same ambition and respect all opponents, even though we can consider Chile a favorite due to previous gatherings and more training. Croatia against everyone wants to be unique, is looking for a victory, and therefore passage into the final of China Cup,” added Čačić.
Croatia will play in China with an altered composition, with only players from the MAXtv First League and Filip Ozobić of Azerbaijan’s Gabala FK and Toni Datković from Slovenian FC Koper.
Josip Pivarić commented about the short preparation for the match after the departure from Zagreb.
"The journey was long, the time difference is seven hours, and we went through weather conditions in Europe, but over the next two days we will try to bring our form to the optimal level. I hope we will be able to recover from the trip and be in good condition for our meeting with Chile,” said Pivarić.
In addition to Croatia and Chile, China and Iceland will play in the other China Cup semifinal. The winners of the semifinal matches will play on Sunday in the final, while the losing teams will play for third place on Saturday.
