In Croatia they call it the "match of the century", in some football circles the "match of the decade" or the "historical clash", but they all agree on one thing - nothing less than a victory in today's Group Eight clash with Yugoslavia will take the Croatian squad through to the finals. The game is vital for both teams, but given the recent tragic history of the two countries the match between the rival states would be a highly-charged one in any circumstances.
A draw, even if Ireland lose to Macedonia in Skopje, would not be enough for the Croats. Croatia's coach, Miroslav "Ciro" Blazevic, cannot count on two defenders in this crucial game - Igor Stimac and Slaven Bilic. The participation of their most influential player, Milan midfielder Zvonimir Boban, is also very uncertain. The injured Boban has not played for a month, and if he plays against Yugoslavia it would not be for longer than 30 minutes.
Yugoslavia will probably have to do without Vladimir Jugovic, who has a knee injury.
Regardless of the necessity of victory in front of 38,000 home spectators in the Maksimir stadium, the Croats still consider themselves as favourites.
Blazevic is talking tough announcing that Yugoslavia should be "happy with a minimum defeat" and claiming that his national squad members have rekindled the "atmosphere of the 1998 World Cup," where Croatia finished third. "Croats are always united in front of difficult challenges, and that is our biggest strength," he said.
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