"The flight times are the least of their problems, and the bigger problem will be changing time zones, which can be a difference of seven hours.”
Plane - hotel - training - match - hotel - plane - training - plane - hotel - match...
This is more or less what the schedule of Croatian footballers will look like during the World Cup in Russia. The chaos already began this morning as the national team boarded a plane in Zagreb to St. Petersburg to officially kick off their Russian summer, reports Goal.hr on June 11, 2018.
Distant journeys proved to be a distraction in the World Cup four years ago in Brazil, but this time around, 32 national teams will take on an even bigger country, the world's largest - meaning even longer and more difficult travels will aim to soak up every last drop of energy of over 700 hopeful athletes.
The Croatia national team left Croatia’s capital city, Zagreb, en route to their first destination - their camp at the Forest Rhapsody resort. By the end of the group competition, the Croatian expedition will have traveled over 6500 kilometers!
Croatia’s World Cup base is located 60 kilometers from St. Petersburg, in Ilyichevo, where Croatia will settle before and after each match. In their first leg alone, Croatia will travel more than 1600 kilometers to Kaliningrad, and back. The team will travel almost 1,800 kilometers for their second match against Argentina in Nizhny Novgorod, and their last group stage game will be reached the quickest, in just 600 kilometers one way to Rostov on Don. Adding the almost 2,000 kilometers from Zagreb to St. Petersburg, the kilometers certainly add up.
In those rare moments when they are not playing, training, or traveling, Croatia’s players (and staff) will have time to rest. However, Croatia will face yet another serious opponent - 'eternal day'.
"In June in that part of Russia, the day lasts for some 16-17 hours, and the rest of the time is dusk, similar to how it is by us before the rain,” explained Ivica Križanac, who was a resident of St. Petersburg for six years.
Zlatko Dalić and his staff will have to take care of hundreds of details, and though the team has already prepared eye masks to help them sleep during the ‘eternal day’, some things will be impossible to change.
"The flight times are the least of their problems, and the bigger problem will be changing time zones, which can be a difference of seven hours,” says Križanac.
In St. Petersburg and Ilyichevo today (the day Croatia arrives) temperatures are a comfortable 23 degrees Celsius, and in Kaliningrad for Croatia’s opening match, temperatures could reach up to 24 degrees Celcius, which should remain for Croatia’s following two group stage games.
Best of luck and safe travels to Croatia - let the games begin!
