Preparations continue for high-profile friendly against Brazil

The Croatian national football team continues preparations for the World Cup with a high-profile friendly against Brazil on Tuesday night in Orlando, Florida.

Brazil lost to France last week in the international friendly series dubbed “Road to ’26,” while Croatia is coming off a victory against Colombia.

In their last encounter, Croatia eliminated Brazil in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following a dramatic penalty shootout.

National team defender Josip Šutalo said on Monday that the squad is “highly motivated, we can’t wait for the match.”

“Whenever you play against the best team in the world, you want to give your best effort and prove — to yourself and to others — that you can hold your own against top-tier competition,” added the 26-year-old centre-back, who plays for Ajax in the Eredivisie.

Defensive midfielder Kristijan Jakić, a 28-year-old from Split who plays for Bundesliga club FC Augsburg, described Brazil as one of the best national teams in the world — both in reputation and World Cup titles.

“We are certainly excited to play against them. However, we will give one hundred percent and try to win. It’s only a friendly match, but these games are exactly how you build self-confidence. We hope to win — just like we did against Colombia,” Jakić said.

For viewers in Croatia, the match will kick off on Wednesday at 2:00 a.m. Central European Time.

Ahead of the World Cup, Croatia will play two more friendlies on home soil: against Belgium in Rijeka on June 2, and Slovenia in Varaždin on June 7.

Croatia open their World Cup campaign on June 17 in Dallas against England, before facing Panama on June 23 in Toronto, and concluding the group stage against Ghana on June 27 in Philadelphia.