It’s official! Croatia will be opening up the 2014 World Cup in Brazil against the hosts in front of the entire world. Although that sounds like an uphill climb, the rest of the group consists of Mexico and Cameroon. Brazil defeated Croatia 1-0 at the 2006 World Cup and Mexico defeated the Vatreni 1-0 in 2002. Croatia has never played an African side in the World Cup.
You have to be happy if you’re a Croatian right now. Not only do you get the glitz and glamour of playing Brazil in the World Cup opener, but you also have a manageable group with Cameroon and Mexico as your opponents.
Should Croatia get out of the group stage, the trouble begins immediately in the Round of 16 where they would most likely play Spain or the Netherlands.
More to come throughout the day…
I was just saying if all our forwards are injured and suspended. Worst case we can play Rakitic as a false 9, since we don’t have any forwards available.
I don’t advise playing a false 9 against Mexico and Brazil. Besides I anticipate that our forwards/strikers won’t all be injured and suspended, thus some will be available.
Rakitic as a false 9 against who?????? Brazil????? No. Mexico???? no.
Copying what Barca did a few years ago works if you control possession. We wont have the edge in possession against Mexico and Brazil.
@ Rijecanin
What I mean is, if there is no strikers or forwards available for selection. And we have to resort to playing 6 mids. We can play Rakitic as a ‘False 9.’
ummmm……when did i ever say that.
man, it amazes me that i am in the head of so many.
We all listen to professor Ziva Istina. Scotland is a powerhouse of a soccer country.
@Croatia vs. Antwerp
I would prefer to see Rakatic as a defensive deepest midfielder. I think Kovac likes him there too. That would free up Modric to play on the other side of half more.
Wow i read many 10% of the comments and they really suck. YOU GUYS ARE A BUNCH OF PESSIMISTIC FUCKS, how are we fucked and why? We are in the world cup get to play the opening match in Front of the WHOLE world. Croatia gets to be on the spotlight and not for the fascist/nazi chants but for a chance to sing our national anthem to the world. This is the best group we could have placed in. We lose to Brazil we lost to the best atleast and we get our revenge against a weaker Mexico, they fell off when they beat us with that penalty they were better back then. So get your panties out of your ass cracks and be happy and loyal proud Croatian fans this couldnt have turned out any better for us. We knew we were going to face one GREAT team at least we didint get stuck with Ghana or Nigeria. THIS IS AWESOME i cannot wait to watch the first game win or lose, im just hoping to revenge Mexico and i am happy.
@ stipe your not goign to be biting your nails worrying because what the point even if we advance we are “screwed” in round 2. REALLY ??? Really are you serious what type of fuckign comment is that(no offense intended) If we can somehow make it to the 2nd round of the World Cup i would be a happy camper and that would be a huge achievement to face Spain or the Dutch
@Kroatien ZG,
well said. I agree with everything you said.
First of all it’s great for Croatia to be opening a World Cup first time in our history to date and be it against a big catholic country. For those of you saying we can’t win without Mandzo we don’t just rely on one player think Euro 2008 when Eduardo was our leading goalscorer in the qualifiers he didn’t play we were just fine. Rather have a striker suspended than a midfielder. Don’t worry about Croatia’s poor qualifying form we usually do this. We had great qualifying form for World Cup 2002 and World Cup 2006 we went home in the group stage so what. Think France 2006 World Cup Qualifying they scrapped through and they got to the final vs Italy playoffs i think so it is irrelevant what happens before tournaments it’s how you perform when the pressure is on. Croatia has the big stage spotlight on them in the first game. I also think Neymar and Brazil are overrated our midfield can match their one and our defenders can match their forwards. Either way it’s a good challenge play them now or later. Neymar has only 1 assist in 5 Games Started in this season’s Champions League so yeah he is not doing so well and no goals. We have a bit of 2002 World Cup against Mexico and a bit of 2006 WC against Brazil in this group stage almost like a movie sequel past future thing. Just putting it out there Ivan Rakitic’s wife is Spanish and Mladen Petric’s wife is Greek does that make them any less Croatian lol? There’s nothing wrong with Latina’s they are hot. I’m happy with this group Mexico and Cameroon can be both beaten. 2002 World Cup we beat Italy as big underdogs and lost the two easier games. We also beat Germany Euro 2008 won our group we are dangerous as heavy underdogs we can beat Brazil come on. And most likely Eduardo will start for Croatia hopefully he scores against Brazil i think he has a point to prove to them it will be a massive story if he does.
Slavonac lolol is she at least white? it’ll be funny in a couple decades when Croatia is a “multicultural” society… at least you will be enriched heh heh
@toronto croatia
Love the HA vest with the checkers. Fucking amazing.
Sime – you’re an immature fuck, you have no idea about life…there are good and bad in every culture! many of my Croatian friends that married Croatian are divorced, you never know what awaits you in life!
Milan – trust me, I’ve dated several Croatian girls but none very traditional! My wife on the other hand is very old school. And loves our traditions…she cooks our food, is an excellent mother and values family…something I never really had in my relationships with Croatian diaspora! many nice Croatian girls here, I just never met the right one…no regrets from me…my wife is world class!
Brazil is going to advance at the top of the group, however, the second place without a doubt is going to be Mexico. Let’s be honest, Croatia has a shitty football league, Mexican league is the best on their continent and one of the most economically powerfull of the world. We don’t know Cameroon, but Croatia I think can beat them.
I estimate a 2-0 loose against Brazil. A 2-1 loose against Mexico and a win for 1-0 against Cameroon.
Group A is defined already.
@ Rijecanin
Play Rakitic as a ‘False 9.’ Problem solved.
@ivica …haha that’s awesome
Sime, old sport do not ask me ask the “slavonac from Canada” the guy who has ridiculed a hero of the Serbian people Karadzic but hahahahah
@Petar Radman-Livaja
He was also scoring against European teams. Who else is in better form then Benko right now?
Jelavic? On the bench at Everton
Eduardo? Bench in Ukraine
Olic, perhaps but he cannot run the whole game anymore.
Rebic. Havent seen enough of him.
Unless Croatia decides to play without a forward and use 5-6 midfielders and play for a draw then your going to have a hard time convincing me we have a better option at the moment. Somebody could emerge by next summer but at the moment I dont see another option.
Boze…..why would you marry a wetback???
And do not worry Croatian man, there are always latinas who need citizenship heh heh heh 🙂
How can you blame Croat woman for not choosing to marry croat men when Serbian men are much more sexy. Do not blame them for the facts
@PureCroat – or…….Croatia is in the group of Catholics. We all brothers.
@slavonac from canada
No offense to your wife and kids but how could you abandon your Croat bloodlines like that?
We are a nation of 4.2 million and with our homelands low birth rates, it’s also up to us the diaspora to create pure generations outside of Croatia.
Svaka cast to all the diaspora hrvati who chose a hrvatica as their wife.
I won’t be rude to the others, and I understand love can be a powerful persuasion but their kids will never be hrvati.
Slavonac – Nice! I’m lucky my wife’s entire familia is back in TX so I’ve got her outnumbered here. Nothing but checkers around this house.
@ Dejan M
“I swear someone on here predicted Croatia will be Brazil in the opener, a while back tho”
Yea, I wrote that I was playing the World Cup draw simulator, and it put us in the same group as Brazil. Then, we ended up going all the way to the final and losing to Brazil. I liked the outcome so much, that I didn’t touch the simulator since.
Argentina has Bosna, and we have Brazil.
Cro versus Argentina is a friendly that simply must happen. Same thing goes for Nigeria.
Three fast teams in Brazil, Mexico, and Cameroon.
Lovren has to step up this tournament. He needs to be our main CB.
Mark – too funny! My wife’s family are Spanish roots so they always tend to have someone to cheer for…if Mexico fails, Spain is their next choice! I’m gonna prepare very well this year, I’m gonna use my Croatian flag as a blanket the night before the game and hide all the Mexican uniforms in the house…all the kids will be wearing Croatian uni’s!
@PureCroat
ovi za pecinu spremni bi trebali uloziti zalbu ako su pravi stovatelji lika I djela onoga sto su mu cekic u glavu zaprdili
@ Slavonac
I feel you brother. Moja žena is Mexican too. I’ve already coined the phrase Mexicro.
What? We have to share a group with 3 non-white nations? That’s a conspiracy if I’ve ever seen one, right momci?
@ Penetrator
That’s right, let the whole world think we are pushovers.
“Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
At least we aren’t going into this ranked like number 8 or some absurdly high number where people will automatically assume we’ll smash on Mexico/Cameroon and give Brazil a run for their money.
If we give Brazil a game and lose, then we “tried valiantly”
If we get smoked “well, they are a top 5 team playing at home”
If we win, we’re world beaters.
If we beat mexico, we’re “third world beaters”
If we lose “Mexico and Croatia are on par with one another, could have gone either way”
If we beat Cameroon….nothing
If we lose “we can’t play in tropical climates”
There’s an explanation for every situation. and we’re not expected to show up and top the group, i like this better.
Dear God, big difference in Benko banging in goals against HNL teams than going into Brasil for the World Cup and going up against Silva and Dante.
I said that their defense is far superior to the 2006 generation. Cafu aged like fine wine but Roberto Carlos was a shell of his former self. Juan was okay, Lucio was pretty damn good. However, for me, Thiago Silva is clearly the best in the world and there are few better than Dante. That is still leaving Marquinhos on the bench with David Luiz.
I would take both Thaigo Silva and Dante over Juan, possibly over Lucio as well.
Benko will start in place of SMM. Leon has been on fire and scored 4 goals this past week. Next to SMM he is in the best form of all our Strikers. He has shown id quality in HNL and Euro Cup. He is very quick and I think he can exploit a weak and wandering Brazil Defence if given the chance.
Our draw isn’t that bad. A tie against Brazil is a long shot but would be huge.
Play Argentina in east Bolivia at high altitude and humid weather lol
No way, the 2006 squad was way better, they had 3 Fifa World Player’s of Year on that team.
Also I would take Mandza over Fred any day.
As far as their Midfield of Paulinho, Luiz Gustavo–Hulk, Oscar, Neymar.
I think Modric, Rakitic, Srna, Kovacic, Badelj, Perisic can match up with them.
But overall, Brazil is better. I think our players will be so fired up playing Brazil in the opening match, that they will play the match of their lives. I’m hoping for an upset.
You’d have to think Argentina would be interested in a friendly vs Hrvatska…with BiH in their group, and we’d be interested in a friendly with them.
I’d also call up Cote d’Ivoire
I’m already hearing it from the Mexicans….Fuck I hope we slaughter them!
@ Croatia vs. Antwerp – Their midfield is smaller, quicker now, something that Croatia never does well against, speed. Their defenders are far superior to the 2006 generation. Thiago Silva with Dante and you still have Marquinhos as a sub. Marcelo is fine at the left flank and you have Dani Alves, the human pylon on the right side. He can still charge up and down the flanks, but he is an awful defender. Striking remains a problem. They had to use Fred for the Confed Cup.They wil lose out on Diego Costa to Spain. Leaving them with Robinho. Whichever Robinho shows up is anyones guess. Also, Jo, who I believe is still being paid by Manchester City. But then again, who isnt being paid by Man City.
Lets see what kind of friendlies we can put together. Hopefully our savez can get us a good south american sqauad to play with in south america and a good african squad to play with as well.
They are good but not as good as in 2006 when they had Kaka, Ronaldinho, Ronaldo, Cafu, Roberto Carlos etc.
And in our match, the only thing that separated us was a brilliant strike by Kaka (who Krancjar failed to close down) giving them a 1-0 victory. They are the favorites, but I hope we beat them. Now that would deliver a message to the World!
Brazil is always a good team but like everyone else, they have to be in form at the right time! the unfortunate part for most is that they have soo many players that are starters and most likely in form…and they play home…they will be a threat always!
Out of the 12 opening games between 1966 and 2010, 4 finished 0-0 and 4 finished 1-0, and one finished 1-1
They did indeed look good, but it was the Confederations cup. Don’t know how seriously that tournament can be taken. Didn’t USA beat Spain b4 WC 2010 as well? And how did that turn out lol
In fact I don’t think a Confederations Cup winner has even gone on to win the major tournament the following year.
Brazilu ćemo uvaliti bar 5 komada, ostalima po 6 ili 7 i to bez Mandže, a kad Mandžo dođe bit će toliko golova da će se utakmice prekidati zbog previše golova.
@Croatia vs. Antwerp…….did you not watch the Confederations Cup? This Brazil side is plenty good.
I don’t know why the Cro media seems to think the brazilian-born hrvat is a gaurentee to be on the roster for the World Cup. I’m reading a few stories how Da Silva can’t wait for the World Cup. He really hasn’t done much to warrant a spot. But, then again no other forward has done anyting outside of Mandza to warrant a spot either. So, I guess he gets their by default.
@Ziva
That Scotland games is the past. I hope the team has learned and moved on from it. Still pumped with our group and that we are going to Brazil.
Croatia vs. Cameroon in Manaus will be the “Rumble in the Jungle II.”
I’m sure security will keep the Anacondas and Crocodiles off the pitch. Heck, some people still live in trees and huts in that town. Our boys are gonna need a ton of vaccinations. Let’s hope they don’t get Malaria.
We gotta play friendlies with African sides to prepare. And lining up Argentina and Urguay would help too.
Croatia have played in Manaus before. Drawing Brazil there 1-1 in 1996. It’s not like it’s uncharted territory.
Also, this is a stronger Croatia than the one that played in ’02 and ’06. We are a lot more solid. Besides these Mexican and Brazilian teams are weaker than the ones we played against in ’02 and ’06 respectively. But Brazil makes up for it with home field advantage. I loved to see us upset Brazil.
@ Toni
Your Momma’s just like spinach, every time I eat her she gets all stuck in my teeth.
Looks like “hide in truck” Olic is not a fan of our draw……..
http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/ivica-olic-zavapio–dobili-smo-najtezu-skupinu–nema-teze–pa-mi-igramo-u-manausu–u-dzungli–/1145031/
Ziva then in that scenario we would face Uruguay/Italy/England or Columbia/Greece/Ivory Coast
i have no use for bleacher report.
I’m just saying there are strong american journalists when it comes to covering soccer.
Ziva – you should write “dry” comedy…
But I guess using your logic Mr. Istina I should be going to index.yu for my nfl / hockey tips since they are unbiased?
lol
Hrvati never give up????????? true, unless of course you forgot the game agianst Scotland in October.
On the bright side of things. Lets say we do get 2nd place and end up drawing Spain in the 2nd round. Man, imagine taking them down (yeah, I know wishful thinking and we do have Rakitic on our end trying to head the ball). But, you take down the champs and then everything opens up.
No i’d rather look up goal.com or eurosport vs espn or tsn for info on nogomet. But that’s just me.
Just like if I wanted NFL info id go to espn vs skysports.
Have fun with bleacher report lol ; )
Yanks and Brits almost never write anything good about Croatia unless there is a most obvious case where they are just reporting on what the rest of the media is saying. In the past several weeks, American news outlets have been overwhelmingly calling Croatians fascists…that freakin Bob Dylan case in France has brought out Americans and Jews all over the world speaking about Croats as if we are North Korea or even worse! I love my American customers but can’t stand the media and politics…and have a very difficult time understanding how anyone on this planet could consider the US a soccer Nation! They have the aptitude for soccer like Croatians do for speed skating…most Yanks think soccer isn’t violent enough and that a bunch of pansies play the game!
Could not ask for better. We are in a good group. We play brazil match #1 on a grand stage for the entire world.
Our population is 4.2 million vs Brazil 199 Million. You have to love this. Hrvati never give up. It will be an amazing feeling hearing our anthem.
Anything can happen and we can beat Mexico and Cameroon.
By far the easiet group is the French one. Gotta love Platini bs.
Bog i Hrvati
That’s right………why rely on neutral observers who have no dog in the fight, when you can rely on biased coverage from Cro.
I really couldn’t care less what limey Yankees or Canadians think with regards to who they think will advance. It’s like me tuning into Sky Sports to get info on NFL matches.
Same shit.
Explain how the american journalists “hate us”. Commenting or writing that we will not advance does not make one “hate us”. It’s an opinion. Nothing more, nothing less.
It’s the same as saying we hate Cameroon because we think we will beat Cameroon.
Come on, use some logic when you type.
@666
What group did Serbia end up in? Never mind….LOL
I love it, everyone is counting us out. This Canadian pundit who I find is usally prety knowledgeable also has Brazil and Mexico going through….keep it coming.
http://www.tsn.ca/soccer/story/?id=438354
nego sto bi sa novcima za dom spremni, jeste li mu ih poslali ili ste ih dali na cuvanje Anthony Raguzu, ahahaaaaa
Everyone who has made a prediction on this sight, sorry 99% of you have all been completely wrong. I get a chuckle reading these predictions cause most of you have no clue!
Play ****^
I swear someone on here predicted Croatia will be Brazil in the opener, a while back tho
i love it already everyone is saying we will be weak and a push over. The american journalists hate us! i love it! lets go and get a few wins.
Sure……..remind me as the WC gets close. We can finalize it at that point. As things stand today that is what I would do. Maybe I go down by a goal or half goal by June.
Ziva – I’ll take the bet you posted…9 points and +8…anything less I win right?
Simunic doesn’t need my money or yours so we can change the betting dynamics if you’re still in?
@majstore……..I may agree with you, so there would be nothing to bet on. I’ll let everyone know who I will bet on right before the WC begins. My instant reaction is what i posted above, but that will change as we get closer.
Domoljublje prozvali fasizam tako brane njihov komumizam
How about I bet you that we progress to 2nd round!?
…and this is part of what I meant yesterday when we were talking about other teams (big name teams) hoping for easier groups…while many of you here want the best!
Scolari talks about the first match against us: “”We open against a European team, which was my preference. It is good to play first against a European team, because they will not be so ready in our country. But they will improve their game as the tournament goes on.”
why should we feel guilty about the possibility of advancing because the group may be a little easier while Brazil is hoping for every advantage to advance?
ahaha, koji ste vi pacenici. druga, treca generacija “vlaji” što su trbuhom za kruhom ošli pedestih godina i onda krivili “komuniste” jer tamo su morali i radit…..u 50 godina nisu toliko postigli ko što im je rodbina koja je ostala u “komunizmu” !!!
otpjevaju koju pijanu gangu, odigraju šijavicu i onda pijani na šanku onako lipo zapivaju “Juru i Bobana” kako bi potvrdili da nisu klan! A u sali hrvatskog doma slika poglavnika Ante! Što jadan zna jedan Hrvat u HRVATSKOJ( koji je socijalno i humano orjentiran) kako je njima pod cizmom komunista bilo jelte?
200,000 Croats live in Argentina, between 200,000-300,000 in Chile and 20,000 in Brazil…they’re prolly all 3 rd generations now tho but who knows who they cheer for!
I predict Brazil wins our group with 9 points and a goal differential of plus +8. We should bet. Any takes?????
Money gets donated to Joe Simunic.
when we went to the Euro’s the media overlooked us, yes, we didn’t get into the knockout rounds but we were in with Spain and Italy…both teams are better than Mexico! I maintain my opinion that we have a better selection (players) than we did 2 years ago and think that if we get back on track to playing with structure, good form, everyone understands the strategy…I will be able to send some kulen to my extended Mexican family (my wife’s side) and wish them well while they dodge bullets in the cartel infested streets of Mexico!
Manaus game is just south of the equator and that game is what, 4 or 5 pm? Advantage for Cameroon in that one from the weather angle since they are just north of the equator. We have more talent than they do so hopefully the weather on that day is not the equalizer.
We need to think of some real good yo momma jokes and have Dasilva throw them around. If they are good it should at least give them one red card.
Brazil,will have huge pressure opening at home!!
No matter what happens, I think Croatia will need a win against Mexico to advance. It comes down to one game. if we cant beat mexico, we dont deserve to advance. Simple as that.
@Iggy,
4 points and you are most likely through to the second round.
I expect Brazil to top the group with 9 points.
1-0 loss to Brazil, 1-0 loss to Cameroon and 3-0 win against Mexico would get us through if Mexico beats Cameroon on opening night.
A draw against Cameroon isnt all that bad in game 2. We will be playing in a climate that favors Cameroon. Regroup and smash on Mexico. Last game is the most important.
.
Bet365 nepoznat.
Manus is 300 feet above sea level. Zagreb is 400 feet. Just to take the altitude out of the equation.
where’d you get the lines majstore?
Group G does look tough but then again I am looking at Germany, Portugal and Ghana…if this were basketball I’d consider US a competitor!
Lines on qualifying for second round
Brazil -2000
Croatia -120
Mexico +125
Cameroon +550
And I’ll say I agree with those odds. We are slight favorites to advance and I think that we will in this case (despite what strucnjak in his own mind ziva likes to think). I would be happy with that. Anything on top of that, you are playing with house money and I’ll gladly take.
Line on match with Brazil\
Brazil -300
Draw +400
Croatia +800
What ever sto bude bude 3 and out or 1/8 v Chile holland or Spain. we will be stronger at the 2016 euro and 2018 russia heard it here first!
Is it me or are Americans calling group G group of death
how do u figure a loss then a draw leaves us with “win and go thru” ????
At first, I freaked out a little, but now when the dust has settled, we have ourselves a good group.
I can see a 1-0 loss to Brazil and with a little luck a 1-1 draw.
Cameroon have the advantage in the second game in the amazon. However, even a draw is good for us.
Last game against Mexico is for all the marbles. Win and go through. At the same time, Croatia wasn’t able to “win and go through” against Australia in 2006 and Ecuador in 2002.
This time, we win and go through.
U boj u boj !!!!!!….
.
I’m wondering what the hold up is with FIFA, when will they let us know the suspensions for Mandzukic and Simunic? to be really honest, I hope Simunic plays, but as a sub…I think its time we give the central defense a little makeover…Lovren has been sturdy as of late so if Kovac can get him to play simple and not make stupid fouls (not that Simunic was much better), that would be one area I could see us improving our overall speed on a relatively slow defense!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWMtENllfVM
this draw is good for croatia. What I believe they must do though is that they must possess the ball in the opening game as much as possible. Brazil are a fast team that are quick on the counter attack (something that croatia isn’t good at). The next two games we need to create as many scoring chances as possible. If someone has a lane to shoot the ball, shoot the ball. We are going to need to beat cameroon and mexico to move on. I believe we are going to advance second in the group.
We cannot play well againist poor teams. We must focus on beating Brazil.
not the worst draw ever really..
it’s good if mandzukic is gonna be banned for a game that’s in a match we arent likely to win anyway, also pressure is off for game 1.. then we can focus on the next 2.. i see it as an equal battle between the 3 others for position 2 in our group..
it’s good the eyes of the world will be on us on the openinig day !
we win the group, chile will finish 2nd and we play them in round of 16
@ Slavonac from Canada
Perfect Ziva analysis
@ Ziva, Slavonac, Bobby V etc.
Can they lose and not make it? Sure, anything can happen. But the odds are on Croatia making it. I wouldn’t be betting on Mexico.
With that being said, I’m hoping Croatia beat Brazil. And Brazil fails to go to the knockout stages. The massive failure is used as an excuse to trigger a revolt. Due to the inequality, poverty, lack of education etc is this nation. This becomes the impetus for change in this dystopian society.
It’s kinda like hoping Croatia would lose so Stimac gets fired, allowing for changes to take place.
WE NEED SAMMIR MORE THAN EVER!!!!
and the last link I have from the Mexico point of view (all 4 links are from Mexican standpoint):
http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/futbolmexico/id/2678?cc=5901
http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/futbolmexico/id/2678?cc=5901
http://espnfc.com/video/espnfc/video/_/id/1641501?cc=5901
From the Mexico point of view:
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/67/world-cup-2014/2013/12/06/4459811/marshall-good-draw-for-mexico-but-fifth-game-a-big-ask?ICID=HP_BN_1
heres my 2 cents.
its a good draw for us to get through the group.
The brazil game is a dream game, who wouldnt, as a professional, want to play brazil on opening night? that is awesome. If we can withstand the first 15 minutes without conceding its anyones game. No one gave us a chance against spain either and we should have beat them. brazil will attack us with everything they have and we have a chance to catch them on the counter. modric will be able to pull the strings.
im more scared of cameroon than mexico. mexico is a nut case, yes they have a new coach but that doesnt mean much for them since it always happens to them. we match up well against mexico, their defending is very suspect and look for modric and raketa to dominate in that midfield. would help us a ton if we had 2 great outside back, lets see if strinic can shine as he did in the euro cup.
cameroon is big black strong fast and physical. that will be a fun game to watch. i havent seen them play much but we struggle against physical teams.
@Toronto Croatia……the seond time we beat the odds were awesome. I took Cro in that game. As for the 98 game. It was a great result for us, but thanks to the red card. We were getting our asses kicked in that game. Anyone else recall Ladic and his game of a lifetime.
Also had money on the first game in Wembley and won on that. But, I also had money on Cro when we got beat in Maksimir. That was a bad day in the fortified basement. But, I learned my lesson when they played again at Wembley and bet heavy on England to win that game. With our depleated roster in that match it was easy money to take England +2.5 goals. I think that was the most $$$ I ever won betting against Cro along with a few other games for a parlay. But, I’ve had my share of losses as well.
Ziva – true, but I still think we have more quality overall. there are 2 players they have that I’d love to have…Dos Santos because he runs at players and Chicharito because when he scores…he scores in bunches…
Carlos Vela is also awesome but hasn’t been with the team in 2 years…how do we win? neutralize those players
To be quite honest, I dont feel that this is a particularly good Mexican generation of players. I am not saying that we are the Real Madrid all star 11. However, I do feel that on paper we are a better side. Again, only on paper. Having said that, on paper, Tottenham have a talented team.
Here is the thing…..We all assume Cro can turn it around from what we did in qualifying and i think we will. We wont be as bad as we were under Strucnjak Stimac. But, by that smae logic, can’t someone say the same thing about Mexico. Or does that require the homer glasses to come off.
If Mandzukic gets anything other than 1 game it is a crime. Laurent Koscielny got one game for his red card against the Ukraine in game 1
Btw, did anyone see the co-cost chick? She was a smoke show!
Some of the Ziva hate is hilarious. It’s a free country guys. We can all freely express our opinions, smart, dumb or indifferent.
It’s up to us if we want to read or just ignore what people write on this site. To each his own.
Go Soccer! Go Croatia! See you in Brazil.
Ziva what were Croatias odds when they beat Germany…twice?
Or when Croatia beat England…
Or whenever they play Italy and have never lost to them.
@ Toronto Croatia – I am optimistic. I applauded the hire of Niko Kovac. I love what I have read and what I have seen with his brief role with the juniors. I love following all of our junior programs. He seemed to really get the most out of that crop and from what I have read from the players, they developed a real bond with him. That doesn’t surprise me given the way he played with us, with his heart on his sleeve. I am proud to have his number 10 on one of my many Croatia jerseys.
Everything starts now for us. For the established players and the young players I mentioned a few posts earlier. I am sure they all know the significance of the match-up. They all see the World Cup as one step close and hopefully it makes them all hungrier to wear the checkers.
I really want to see how the younger players who are on the cusp of the senior side respond with their club teams over the next few months. Everyone will be pushing to make sure they belong on the 23 man roster.
One injury and anyone of the 32 countries could be ruined. Anything can happen at a World Cup as well.
The group itself is not terrible but the chips are definiltey stacked against any magic occurring
1) We have to play in Manuas: Brazil and Cameroon are on the same latitude palne. Mexico much much closer than Cro. Their players will be much more comfortable in that hot, humid climate. The goods news. When I checked, there is no altitude there.
2) Crowd support will prob be for every other team than Cro
3) Mandzukic out at least a game
4) If we advance we play Holand or Spain!
Here are the odds…… Cro is 200-1 to win the WC. Other teams also at 200-1 are the USA, Ivory Coast, Japan and Bosnia.
Brazil is 7-2.
Please what has Brazil ever done at the World Cup?!?
I am not sure I am as confident as some of you, as Mexico maybe a little underrated. That being said it will be exciting, and there will be only one team I cheer for, go Croatia!!
Petar Radman-Livaja, I never said anyone cant have opinions.
But if I don’t think you’re a real fan I’m gonna call you out…whoever it is.
As for the game against Brazil. I think our guys can even go into it expecting to lose. Just relax, enjoy the once in a lifetime dream of playing in the opening game of the world cup….and just play…
Just see what happens when you go out there and show the world what you got.
Getting the first game of the cup against brazil is a great opportunity for any team. Im personally glad that we got the group that we did.
Ohh and lookin at it… Our euro 2012 group was tougher than this and we barely missed out on that. well be ready and will advance I’m sure of it
Im satisfied with our group honestly. Its manageable and thats all I could ask for…. Our first game yes its tough but its the world cup we were going to run into a tough team.. I wouldn’t be surprised if we lose, tie, or win honestly to me that game is up in the air for both teams.. Against cameroon with all this talk about the humidity fuck that.. Our players are professionals they can handle it hey weren’t we bitching about the weather in iceland also.. We will win against cameroon our team is a better team and has was more class AND mandzukic will return this game so hell be hungry to grab a goal… Now, against Mexico, I watched the concacaf qualifying matches and mexico made me literally fall asleep watching them.. They’re team will be made up of players from their weak league and a few players from europe that don’t get any playing and are out of form… We will beat them… I am sure we will get out of this group, our talent and players will be ready and niko kovac will have this team ready… He wants revenge on brazil for the 2006 world cup and to be a spoiler, hell get a game plan for cameroon and beat them and same with mexico.. All in all we will advance and i have faith in our team on big stages.. AJMO MOMCI!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ziva – I know you are a good guy and great Hrvat, that’s not in question. I see your comments and sometimes find that I have to “read between the lines” so to speak, regardless, I think you should not be so quick to analyze based on odds or media comments. as you very well know…most things are written based on little info…ie…do you really think anyone knows the challenges our team has had, the way Stimac became arrogant and changed players, formations, strategy and mostly without an ounce of logic…or how players made comments that they didn’t understand the coach’s system…or that there was internal turmoil? All these details will affect any team. I think our team from 2012 has less quality than now…the problem is we haven’t yet shown that as a team because we are just recently getting back to a real team with a real coach and moving towards establishing ourselves again…and it will take more time but in the end…I think our 2012 team would have easily taken care of Mexico…which is why I think we can beat them in 6 months!
Form is a funny thing…confidence can also powerful. I see the first game as a no pressure situation…play defensive, counter and if possible we can surprise Brazil. to me the fucked up part is Cameroon. emotions, physically powerful and not so disciplined can be like a recipe for disaster or surprise, I know nothing about them so I hope Kovac makes a plan and the team sticks with it and frustrates Cameroon, that’s how I see us being successful.
Mexico….pinche madre…shut down dos santos and Mexico is silent…that’s my opinion. if he did for his clubs what he does for mexico he would be a world super hero…I think we shut him and mexico is going to struggle!
It really didn’t matter what top seed we drew – it was always going to be a loss anyway. Playing in the first match is awesome!
It was always down to who the other two teams would be. If I had a choice, it would have been Mexico from pot 4 and only Algeria would have been better in pot 3.
Excellent draw for Croatia – can’t stress it enough.
lol neymar in poor form is 10 times that of perisic at top form
IDEMO NA POBJEDU
imagine that feeling though beating brazil in brazil in front of 3 billions viewers
and then 1 day less than Mexico for that game
At first glance I thought were done for, because of our form and opponents leg speed.
But when you look at it from a different persective, 1 we are at the big dance and 2 anything can happen at a world cup. Getting out of the group stage would be the prize.
Im going!
@ Toronto Croatia – My father managed for them for two seasons by the way.
But, most countries that I know of, fought for independence to rid themselves of tyranny. To me, there is no greater tyranny than censoring speech. If you believe in Free Speech, you believe it in enough to fight for the rights of your greatest adversaries rights to speak words you completely disagree with. But you still applaud his rights and his freedoms to speak so openly.
Do I agree with what Ziva says? Not most of the time, sometimes, yes. All I ask for is a detailed and well researched response. Instead of quick lines just to get a rise out of you guys.
He has every right to say what he feels, just as you have every right to offer and insightful rebuttal or just ignore him and move on.
Ok, some of the same arguements you guys are using can easily be turned around against us as well.
Mexico looked bad in qualifying………..so did we
Mexico has a new coach…………….so do we, and with less experience
This Brazil team is not the best they have put out………….still better than our side
Cameroon struggles to score……………………so do we
Listen, before the homers and jock sniffers attack me……let me say this. I am excited that we open the World Cup. The entire would will get to see the checkers, especially the serbs, the self-hating hrvati and the 91ers. Can’t wait to be in Brazil in June.
so it looks like we get 1 day extra rest and therefore maybe 1 day extra try to get used to Manaus for the Cameroon game
@Laku Noc
Nike is apparently doing a spring reveal (not sure of the month) for the new kits. Too bad Adidas has already unveiled their new versions…
@Laku Noc
Nike is apparently doing a spring reveal (not sure of the month) for the new kids. Too bad Adidas has already unveiled their new versions…
One thing to look forward to know is how our players, both the established ones and those young ones on the cusp of being selected to the National Team respond in the next few months with their club teams. I am sure all of them would want to even just sit on the bench when they now know we will be on center stage against host Brasil in the opening match.
For Rebic, Kovacic, Jedvaj, Radosevic, Vrsaljko, Bubnjic, Pavlovic, Halilovic, Brozovic, Milic and Livaja, the time is now to start proving you at least merit a bench role for the tournament. I mention Kovacic because he has to force himself into the starting 11 at Inter. I am sure, if healthy he is guaranteed to go, same with Rebic.
How will the players respond in the coming months?
@Doktor Prle
I agree 100%….all the cetnik’s have gone into hiding…..
Any chance you cetnik’s can stream a video of you guys watching the opening game of the World Cup on this site? I would pay money to see your faces as you suck back your loza and think about your p.o.s. team sitting at home.
Ziva,
Whatever you say man. U def have a way of getting under peoples skin so please let me know when and if you ever come to New York. That is all.
In other news…
“Poduzet ćemo sve da se maksimalno spremimo, da vidimo što Brazilci znaju. Drago mi je da otvaramo Svjetsko prvenstvo, naša mala Hrvatska s Brazilom otvara. Vidjet ćemo što će dragi Bog dati.”
Anyone know when the World Cup jerseys are coming out?
Why Petar Radman-Livaja?
Because we’re here to cheer on our Nation. Our team. A team that exists ONLY because our people gave their lives to be on a world stage like this…to be in headlines that say “BRAZIL TO PLAY CROATIA IN OPENING GAME OF WORLD CUP 2104”
We’re proud of that …and we’re here to support our nation.
Damn right I’m passionate about it …even if it is just a “sport” because it means so much more to us.
And unfortunately, I don’t see that pride from a guy like Ziva. He’s here to predict we lose every single time.
Sure he has the right to his opinions …but in turn…he better be prepared to take the heat from Passionate Croats.
@Slavonac……..I think right now Mexico is the odds on favor to get 2nd place. That is all I have said. Right now, I think they will get out of the group. Now, things can change my thoughts leading up to the WC.
I’ll disagree with you on what I said regarding to the qualifying campaign. I hated Strucnjak Stimac from day one (although his results in the first four games quited crtics like me, but not how we were playing, but he got the desired results). I really believed the only way we would make the WC was if he was removed and the only way for him to be removed was if we lost and lost bad.
i don’t really care what others think. Those who know me and have watched games with me know there is no bigger fan of anything hrvatstvo. I’m not saying I am the biggest or most vocal fan, but nobosy is more supportive of hrvatska. I just see things in a different way.
Hell, I find the reaction by some on this message baord to be comical, but also pathetic. We have one dude who wants to do physical damage to me because we disagree over a soccer discussion. It’s still funny, because if I were to ever run into those who want to hurt me I would be the first guy to buy drinks.
El bandito!
My initial reaction was that we got screwed with the draw but on second thought it is a group we can come out of.
What better impetus to bring out the best in Croatia than playing Brazil in the first game. I think we’ll lose without Mandzu but a draw wouldn’t have been out of the question with him in. This Brazil team is definitely not the best they have put out but the home support makes them hard to beat.
Mexico looked poor in qualifying and currently do not look as good as past Mexican teams. 3 points can be gained from them.
Cameroon is the African team you would have wanted if you bothered to look at African team qualifying r3sults. 3 points are there for the taking. Etoo fights to score the ugliest of goals to appease mourinho, mandzu eats him for breakfast w a side of cevaps.
2nd is my prognosis for hrvatska. Kovac uber-tactics bring us through along w Mandzu strikes.
P.S. if birmingham didnt mug eduardo we would be talking about him holding wc in brazil.
@ Ziva
While I like your analysis of things. I’m afraid basing your slight edge on Mexico on Altitude adjustments is just over-analying things. Vatreni aren’t idiots and will prepare for this.
Besides we have so much going for us in strength, height, technique, and experience in major matches at Tourneys. This more than makes up for any “advantage” Mexico has in playing at various altitudes.
I would put Croatia as a favorite to advance–probability wise.
@Ante B Thank you!
I’m elated about us opening the World Cup. All eyes will be on us. All the millions of eyes that hate our very existence will be forced to watch little Hrvatska in the greatest festival of football on earth.
Eat your hearts out!!!
Why do any of you care what Ziva says? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. He has as much right to say what he feels as you have the right to ignore it.
All I ask for is some explanation behind the thought process. Most of the time it is said as if just to get a rise out of you guys.
Thank God Ziva wasn’t a soldier.
He’d be standing around going….”I don’t think we can win Vokovar guys….the odds are against us…I’m not a homer…JNA troops are too strong…110 vehicles and tanks and dozens of planes…..forget it, lets cut our losses.”
@ Ziva
Right now, if I am a Mexican fan I am smiling because they think they should get 2nd in group.
Based on Mexico’s qualifying, I can safely say they actually had a worse qualifying campaign than us. Did you watch them in the Gold Cup? The adjective putrid comes to mind…..beyond that, they beat a dog-shit NZ team to advance.
Notwithstanding the fact they now have a new coach (how many is that now?) I would say I’m actually thrilled if they go in thinking they are a lock for 2nd…..we will then chew them up and spit them out.
As I said, watch for it.
Will some of you act like you have a pair? You guys sound like you still haven’t pulled your foreskin back.
RELAX u picku milu materinu. To be the best you have to beat the best. Stop being whining picke.
I BJEZITE LJUDI BJEZITE IZ GRADA
@Adame……….you are a fool. Where did I say I “hope” they spank us. If you say something like that in the homeland they wont “rip you a new one”. You sound like one of these interent tough games. So let me get this straight, you want to do physical harm to Mama Istina’s little boy because I said something about sports that you didn’t like. You sir clearly are a winner in life.
@Boston…..my bad if true. i was watching HRT and thought what they said was valid. Apologies.
And nothing wrong with having wifi in the stadium. I require access to the outside world to communicate with others and place halftime bets or bets on upcoming matches.
Lets be real ladies… Anything can happen in the World Cup! So quit getting your panties in a bunch and get off your period! Instead of arguing like little high school girls fighting over Justin Bieber grab a beer, enjoy yourself, and get your drinking tolerance up for this summer!!!! Cause we all know we will be drinking a shit ton 🙂
Ziva – you just said ” i said the best chance for us to advance was to lose at home against Belgium (we did) and to be humiliated at Scotland (we were), which would lead to Strucnjak Stimac’s firing (which it did) and that would give the team a bolt or shock needed to win the playoff round along with a kind draw (it was)’
dude, lets be honest! your predictions were nothing like Nostradamus…Croatia was in poor form long before those predictions you made…they were more like revelations or noting the obvious. many people think with their heart when it comes to Croatia, you tend to think with your brain…and wallet! Croatia almost lost to Liechtenstein…who wouldn’t see the writing on the wall? you called what most people weren’t sure would happen, so I credit you for that!
I wonder to myself…do you really think Mexico is a better team than Croatia or is it the elements that make you believe favor Mexico? You often make comments that are negative about the team although we all know you love Hrvatska…I think you’re looking for the “bolt or shock” effect when people respond to you…I could be wrong!
My comment to you Ziva – sometimes you need to be a homer otherwise you can come across as not a real fan! people will always take you as the guy that is “here because we won” but “bet against us”…as you often do!
whoops tried to ninja-edit, but did a double post. my bad.
What’s wrong with pornhub? I spend lots of time on pornhub…
What’s wrong with oornhub? I spend lots of time on pornhub?
@ Nije Bitno – The first sales phase began on August 21st. Second sales phase was November the 11th
Remember one thing about the African teams. More often then not they completely fail at the big tournaments. I work with a guy who played a few matches for Nigeria in the 90s. He even told me, when they get to the big stage thy all want to be the hero and nobody wants to make the extra pass. Plus, they all get sucked in by the nightlife. Add all that and Eto is a shell of his former self, Alex Song has been go awful for Barca.
This group has only three teams in it, if you ask me.
I like our chances to challenge.
When do tickets go for sale?
Everybody having a mental breakdown needs to relax.
1. Brazil is going to be tough to beat. If we hold them to a goal, I’ll be happy with that. We have to be honest with ourselves, though, because our back line is going to have a real tough time holding Neymar down. (Please no red card Joe)
2. Mexico barely made it into the group. The US saved them. Sure they have momentum, but we’re better on paper and on the field. They beat our depleted squad in 2002, so I’m not looking for any of the past events to tell me what’s going to happen.
Everybody says we can’t play against South American teams. Can I have some examples please?
3. Cameroon – Whoever mentioned Eto’o as a wow factor needs to stop. The guy is being replaced by Fernando Torres at Chelsea…do i need to go on? They have a decent squad, but we should take that game.
Ziva,
In this thread alone you said that you hope Brazil spanks us and that you favor Mexico over Croatia. Fuck the statistics. No Croat would ever speak the way you do. Say something like that in the homeland and they’ll rip you a new one. Or come to new york and i’ll do it myself.
@adame….if it reaches our players???? You think they are that sensative that message board comments would get to them. Geez. Don’t worry because guys like Corluka spend their time online on pornhub and not message boards.
You guys have me all wrong. I love soccer and Cro. hell, I plan to waste money to go to Brazil for our three games.
I’m a soccer fan, I care about what goes on out on the pitch.
I don’t need to be all comfy and cozy at a soccer game and eat sushi. What are you guys? pussies?
Gimme a break…we need more true fans and less pussies.
You guys are talking about wifi and eating sushi……I’m talking about trying to watch a game through inhaling the fumes of flares and hearing the chants of true passion.
I guess you guys are the “new generation” of soccer fans?
The same fans like Ziva who predict for us to lose all the time. Fuck off, I don’t want to cheer alongside guys like you
@Ziva
Where are we playing in high altitude? FAIL. Manaus is only 92m (306 feet) above sea level. Obviously your school failed you.
ESPN SPI Projection
Group A
Brazil
99.6% to Advance
Mexico
45.3% to Advance
Croatia
32.9% to Advance
Cameroon
22.3% to Advance
@mark
Greeces group is not soft. Colombia best gen since 94, japan play some nice football and usually do well, ivory coast are better than Cameroon.
@anyone going
I’m going to book my tickets for the 2nd and 3rd matches. I’m at my peak age to go and who knows if hrvatska will qualify next time so I’m not going to miss this once in a lifetime opportunity, who else is up for it we will have a ball. Birds, booze and football! Anyone else going?
@Adame………where am I shitting on Cro. I think you guys are shitting on me because you have homer glasses on and cat see any reality when discussing Cro.
I take you back to early October when i clearly laid out what needed to happen for Cro to advance and for us to have Strucnjak Stimac removed. This is not me playing Monday Morning QB. That was me giving you some analysis before it happend and explaining to you what would happen if sceneria A took place, if sceneria B took place, etc…..
Right now, I don’t think we get out of the group. That is not being a serb or anti-hrvat. That is being someone who follows soccer.
Right now, if I am a Mexican fan I am smiling because they think they should get 2nd in group.
Ziva comments only based on betting odds, zero emotion or homerism. Haven’t you guys figured that out yet?
No Ziva, you seem to have selective memory of your own predictions too.
I remember you saying we have to get embarrassed by like 5 goals ….2 goals are not enough blah blah…
And Saying that the best thing for us to happen is to not even qualify for the world cup. “Short term loss for long term gain” Bullshit.
You say all kinds of negative shit all the time…and you selectively choose which negative things to re-broadcast.
@Toronto
I know, he contributes to the site by posting a lot but its always bull shit. Hey Ante i Dennis, can we block him before his negativity reaches our players and they completely shit the bed in Brazil?
@ Toronto Croatia – Aside from the small but adequate stadium in Dugopolje, all stadiums in Cro deserved to be shit on.
And, every now and then the players are due for some criticism.
@Toronto God forbid there is no WiFi in the stadium…
@Toronto Croatia…….not true. i call it like I see it. If you remember correctly, i said the best chance for us to advance was to lose at home against Belgium (we did) and to be humiliated at Scotland (we were), which would lead to Strucnjak Stimac’s firing (which it did) and that would give the team a bolt or shock needed to win the playoff round along with a kind draw (it was). You will also remember that i said belgium should win our group with a game to spare (they did). So, seems to me I have been able to call quite a few things correctly or have been able to see how things will work themselves out.
Adame, I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again.
Ziva is the worst Croatia “fan” ever.
Shits on the team, insults the players, shits on the stadiums…geez what else?
Hollands hopes may hinge on the health of young Marco van Ginkel
Ziva all you ever do is shit on croatia. Sometimes i feel like you are a serb in disguise
Will Mandzukic be able to play the first game?
@ Ziva – Analysis can always be given quickly when little thought it put into it. A.K.A CNN and Fox News
We will definitely beat mexico and cameroon, loss to brazil and we move on. Watch
This is how it will play out:
We’ll play a strong game against Brasil (just like we did in Germany) but end up losing 1-0 or 2-0.
We’ll play a boring game against Cameroon, and come away with a 1-1 or 0-0 tie. (again, think of the Japan game in Germany).
Game against Mexico will decide the second place finisher. Assume that Mexico has beaten Cameroon, so this is a must win game for us. This will be a crazy game with all sorts of drama (again, think of the Auzzie game in Germany). 50/50 whether we advance.
If we do advance, then probably play the Dutch and get beaten handily – just don’t think we match up well against them. Would be better if we play against Spain (a better match up and you have to think that Spain might be finally losing a step or two?)
Niko, take a stand! I’m not being a Pussy. Fukem!! I’m Proud , Win or Loose.
So much for Croatia playing Mexico in a friendly!
Another reason why I favor Mexico over Cro (for now)……The Mexicans are accustomed to playing at altitude and then moving away from altitude. We are not. We will play Cameroon at altitude and then move away from altitiude. We are not used to that. So, another reason why I give mexico the slight edge.
Where else could you get this type of analysis so quick…….
on a side note. I think I will fire or lock up the mexicans who do the landscaping on the compound. Or, at the very least I will make them work when Mexico is playing.
@Ziva, Your predictions look good but I would change up Switzerland for France. They have a solid group. I know they had an easy group to qualify from but they will give France all they can handle and more.
Don’t forget last WC, they did beat Spain.
Ecuador? What is their record when they are not playing in Quito? Geesh, Playing 2800 meters above sea level is their great equalizer.
I’m not surprised that your gut reaction never has Croatia winning Ziva.
After all, if you had your plan work out…we wouldn’t even be in the world cup and (in your dreams) Mamic & Suker would be gone right now.
Sorry, they are in poor form
A lot of their players are not in poor form. David Luiz is on the outs with Chelsea. Lucas is getting no playing time with PSG, they want to loan him out. Neymar has been a huge disappointment with Barca
gut reaction on the teams that will advance from each group:
A- Brazil, Mexico
B – Spain, Holland
C – Columbia, Ivory Coast
D – Italy, Uruguay
E – France, Ecuador
F – Argentina, BiH
G – Germany, Portugal
H – Belgium, Russia
That opening game against Croatia …is pretty much a must win game for Brazil.
They cant lose the opening game on their home soil….and the ENTIRE SOCCER WORLD will be watching this opening game.
I’m glad we’re in it.
@ Ziva – You are assuming far too much. Teams that host World Cups often start slowly. You do not think that there will be any pressure on them? They grew into confidence with the Confed cup. Plus, they are still deploying Fred as a striker.
They are clear favorites, no doubt. I rule nothing out when it is a World Cup.
France and Greece as usual both got ridiculously soft groups. Our group (A) is still more favourable for us however than if we were drawn in Groups B, D, G or H, and about the same difficulty as Group F.
Right?????? Brazil is overrated. Did you see what they did in the Confederations cup on home soil with passionate fan support…….you know they will be playing the WC on home soil with passionate fan support.
Never stop being a homer….never!!!
Poor Australia, drawing Spain, Chile and Holland. True whipping boys in that grouping.
@Ziva
Are you talkling about Sammir?
Brazil doesn’t hold the ball as much as a team like Spain did. Brazil likes to go forward with flair. Not to say they aren’t good with possession. But you wont see 70%-30% like you did against Spain. Maybe you’ll see 60%-40%.
If we can do something with the possession that we DO have, and defend well, we can pull out a tie. Hopeful Neymar picks up an injury or something.
Eduardo will have every motivation in the world to score and win, the team will rally behind him… Logic tells me 2-0 Brazil but I predict we tie Brazil 1-1…my prediction comes not from my brain but from my heart
I have 0% knowledge of Cameroon, how they play and can’t say either way…so again I cant make an educated guess…we win this one 2-0
Mexico – I think I need this win more than anyone. My wife’s family live in northern Mexico…they’re fucking Mexican cowboys (Nortenos) who will surely be ready to rub this one in my face so I will definitely need a win! 2-1 Croatia…please God …hear my prayers!
we get, we are, we play, us…ahahaa, a ko su to “WE”….”US”
Exactly Bobby V, Mexico is like the Croatia of their qualifying campaign. lol
I’m not too afraid of Mexico.
For the wanna-be brazilian born hrvat to score against fellow brazilian-born brazilians, that will require Cro to have possession. I’m afraid we get spanked the first game.
If someone offered mea 1-0 loss right now, I’d take it.
I am more worried about mexico and cameroon than brazil…..brazil is overrated
I, kad se vracate u ‘rvacku
Not for anything….but after playing Brazil (no matter the result) our boys nerves should calmed….and playing Mexico and Cameroon might feel like a lot easier.
Everybody forget that Mexico was 5th in the CONCACRAP group up until the USA scored 2 goals in extra time to bail them out?
This is an excellent draw for Croatia. Lets hope we get Spain in the round of 16 and play them the same way as last time.
got my wish a game in recefe, Looks like i will be going to the world cup. But i am hesitant about going to the opening game. Scared of gettting shot in the event we are lucky with a tie. I’m thinking i will skip opening game that way i don’t have to take as much time off work.
AJMO!!!!i feel that we play best against big named teams. I’m happy with this draw and very happy we avoided the lower ranked teams because past trends show we play worse against weaker teams.
I WANT TO SEE EDUARDO SCORE AGAINST BRAZIL AND WATCH ALL HELL BREAK LOOSE
guys this is too good… this just proves this shit is not rigged except for france lol
tell me what mother fucker in fifa with all this bullshit going on with joe and cro wanted us to open the world cup with Brazil…ill tell you who, NO ONE!! lol
ZA DOM SPREMINI DOOFUSTS!!!
Btw, NED v SPA is a solid opening match in Group B.
Brazil will beat us 2-0 or 3-0.
We will tie or beat Cameroon
The last game against Mexico is the wild card. If Mexico goes into it only needing a tie to advance or a win to advance will impact the approach to the game.
That is my gut reaction. Opinions can change as the World Cup approaches. Right now, I would say Brazil easily wins the group with a +8 or above goal diff. And Mexico eaks out 2nd place.
Remember, outside of the Cameroon game, we will not have much fan support. There will be more Brazilian (obviouslly) fans and more mexican fans. So, take that for whatever it is worth.
not a bad draw considering. england, italy, spain and holland all finished as group winners in europe and they are stuck in two terribly tough groups. so advancing through the playoff and getting a group like this is not that bad
first game against brazil will be tough, real tough. hopefully this is the only game mandzukic is suspended for and the boys can play some decent counterattacking soccer to limit the damage. any result here would be a miracle. realistically, not losing by a wide margin might be the order of the day. we need an effort like they gave against spain at the euros
as for mexico, they have been horrendous in qualifying. they beat up on new zealand in the playoff but they didnt show much of anything in qualifying. the cameroon game will be a complete unknown….not sure what to think about going into that match. anyone know more about that team??
all is not lost. we will have it all to play for in those final 2 games. excited that we got in to join the dance.
Playing Brazil in game 1 sucks. Not only will it be hard to get tickets, but the home atmosphere will be crazy. And who the hell wants to go to Sao Paolo anyways. Game 2 in the amazon favors Cameroon, although tickets should be easier to get. Even if we finish second, we would then face either Spain or Netherlands. Better plan your trip for the first two weeks only, unless you don’t mind watching other teams play.
USA got screwed the most.
We are playing two sides on their down cycles (Mexico-Cameroon) and a team that will be nervous for their opener.
Croatia also avoided all the top in form strikers. Chicarito and Samuel Eto are past their prime.
Bosnia not only has an excellent chance to advance, but to go far – they match against a weak group F in the knockout round.
USA will go 0-3
I got my tickets already. Opening match to the World Cup!! Smiling ear to ear, folks!!
BUNKER and COUNTER vs Brasil… put Olic and Rebic out there to run around on the breaks and pray
ZA DOM SPREMNI PIZDA!!!!
my last comment got erased somehow
relax people, im a negative croat but you guys are way worse.
all the pressure is on brazil… no one expects jack shit from us… we are under pups not even under dogs… this is much better position from us
seriously guys, what did you think we would draw scotland? lol, yup we’d lose to them… but i like our chances more against a big boy then a small one
if we play like we played in euro, we will advance
All ye of little faith. We will beat Brazil 1-0.
I wouldn’t look to USA/ESPN media in their predictions for Group A. It will be clearly biased to cater to Mexican fans in N. America.
Their players are shorter and weaker than ours. We will dominate in the air, 50/50 balls, set pieces, defense etc. Plus we have better technical quality.
Interesting, because Mexico and Cro are in similar situations, new coaches, largely unproven, horrible qualifying campaigns, beat a “nobody” in the playoffs to squeak in. Though I’d argue that New Zealand is more of a nobody than Iceland.
I still thing I could pick up 11 gardeners here in LA and they’d give mexico a run for their money with their current form.
African teams are a wildcard. Fast and physical, but prone to moments of incredible stupidity on the pitch. Especially Cameroon, probably the worst african team to make it, aside from Algeria.
Brazil – Cro: 0-0/1-1 Cagey opening game.
Cro – Cameroon: 3-1 for Cro
Cro – Mex: 1-0 for Cro
Brazil wins the group on goal difference because they score 7 against mexico.
I’m proud to be a Hrvat, I will follow Tony Montana and bury my head in a mountain of cocaine before yelling,…..SAY HELLO TO MY LITLE FRIEND, LUKA MODRIC you little Brasilian Mother Fuckers!
@Ziva…complaining is for losers! haha. Who cares, we are there, let’s see what happens. Look at it this way, no need to get stressed about it since we can go into it with low expectations.
WE DO NOT KNO HOW TO PLAY AGAINST SOUTH AMERICAN TEAMS…..
WE DO NOT HOW TO PLAY AGAINST SOUTH AMERICAN TEAMS…..
yes ivica runner up of A plays winner of B
AND IS THERE ANY LUCKIER TEAM THAN FRANCE? COME ON.
aside from brazil. not the most terrible group. mexico has not looked great lately. cameroon is ranked 50 in fifa. against recent european competition they tied albania and ukraine both 0-0 i believe. in the last world cup they went 0 -3
So, who is more screwed? USA or Croatia? lol
cameroon are no push over, lack of back line, but mbia, makoun, song, eto’o, matip
Mexico slight favorite for second place? You must be joking. The difference in quality between us and them is so great.
Just look at their squad. Nearly all in Mexican league. While ours are in top clubs around Europe. Come on man.
were done
Ziva – you think Mexico is the slight favorite over Croatia?
why?
To be the best, you have to beat the best. Let’s see what we can do. There will be no pressure on us to do much so the guys can play loose.
our spot in the group is actually ideal in terms of the mandzukic red card. hgh probability that we are not going to beat brazil. so if you have to concede that game, you’d want it to be the one that mandzukic misses
we are not going to beat Brazil even with mandza…….
the bad news about opening up against Brazil is we will start with 0 points and negative goal differential. Since our team has a bunch of mental midgets, that wont be good.
Plus, the travel around the country will kill fans from making a committment to travel to all three of our games……
fuck it, cant complain. We are in the WC and we get to see three games before we go home.
Is it confirmed that we cross over with Group B in the round of 16?
espn just said mexico clear 2nd place hahahahaha
Cameroon is one of the worse teams from Africa. The Amazon won’t help us however.
and screw you Ziva I blame YOU 😉
France will not beat the Swiss or Ecuador. They’ll have a meltdown like they did at the last WC.
even if we make it pass the group the group stage we gotta play holland or spain…..whats the point of even biting my nails thru each wc qualififying game……this sux
Well, i got the attractive opponent.
But the second game is way up north…….fuck, may not even go to that.
Brazil clear favorite in the goup
Mexico slight favorite for second place
We just behind them
Cameroon will be the fourth team on the betting line
Dream draw for BiH.
lol oh ya the mandzo red card…dudu going to be dudustasa and kill the brazillians, trust me its how its supposed to be!!
bad draw!
but we play the OPENING game of the tournament, here are our games:
Brazil v Croatia 6/12 at 5pm in Sao Paolo
Cameroon v Croatia 6/18 at 4pm in Manaus (hot and stupid humid in the amazon…. 2,400 miles away by car/bus or 1600 miles away by plane!)
Croatia v Mexico 6/23 at 5pm in Recife
HA, fucking platini/fifa/france. fuckers.
Draw format gets changed, and France dodges a fucking cannonball and lands in a pile of fucking cottonballs. Of course.
they better be REALLY READY!
whats up with cameroon? they good right now
jesus
That Mandžukić red card is looking pretty bad now, lol
this is awesome… everyone will be wanting us to lose to brazil obviously since we are just minnows and nazis… its our opportunity… trust me brazil obviously great but they have huge pressure… wtf pressure we have really
FIXED!
We a damned!
Croatia cannot play against south american teams
First time we have ever played an African nation in the World Cup.
just think how pissed off fifa is the opening game of world cup and it gets the nazis lololol, this is priceless i love it
Talk about having to get up for a big game.
Opening game of the WC, agaisnt Brazil, IN BRAZIL.
in doesnt get any bigger than that. if that doesnt get your heart beating check you fucking pulse.
Cant wait.
Croatia got no shot
I love it, opening match, whole world watching…I like the group, we got a shot to advance.
haha, i freaking called it when i was thinknig who will be brazil, who else except us… no need to worry boys… brazil were nice to nazi lovers like ourselves lolol
we got this
Za dom Spremini!!
Fuck…there’s gonna be a major problem in my house…my wife is Mexican!
shit.
Corluka vs Neymar.
lol.
First Part of Cro againts Brazil
fuck!
that blows.
GROUP E….PLEASSEEEEE
Italy has a good group…AGAIN!
damn mexico and brazil! they hate each other…
There is going to be more than one group of death
i meant by getting put into pot 2 when france should have been….
Swiss/Ecuador is the group we want.
why is Italy screwed…they always do well against South Americans
italy got screwed lol
Definitely fake. Brazilians undergo more cosmetic surgeries than any other nation.
haha – thinking the same thing BostonCro
Those must be fake, even though they are not that large.
I’m from Australia, they are shit.
Argentina, Croatia, England, Australia
The group of death and old rivalries
@Allen
I’m from Oz, why the fuck wouldn’t you want Oz?
Anybody but Australia and Germany and I’m happy. Zero expectations for this. Only will be outraged if they draw either of those teams, since I’m still a fan at a heart.
If I’m being an analyst, avoid the South American powerhouses and Germany still.
cause he aint READY
“Volio bih izbjeći Brazil, Meksiko i Obalu Bjelokosti’;
~Ivica Olic.
Matchups people, matchups. Ivica knows whats up.
Who wants Mexico? Not me! They would run circles against us especially if we play at high altitude.
.
@DP
Thanks man, jebeni gamat.
Mi smo globalna nacija. A vratit cemo se kada je nas volja. Te ne trazimo, niti trebamo, dozvolu od srbo-jugoslavena.
PS: Serbs and Yugoslavs poke fun at Croatian patriots by misusing the rural pronunciation of Hrvatska and Hrvati (Rvacka, Rvati).
They are trying the call us red-necks when they do that. Imagine that. Those city-dwellers whose parents arrived in ’45 from the most God-forsaken Serbian villages, now call Croatian patriots red-necks.
The Serbs and Yugoslavs have logic as their greatest enemy.
BACK TO FOOTBALL!
Can’t wait, give me your Asians, give me your Central Americans, jebem ti mater!
guys, ziva is reaaally ready. We are doomed. Here comes the group of death.
I have no expectations but for some stupid reason i have been feeling we are going to be in a group with USA. Have no clue why im feeling that but i am
It’s all about you Ziva, it’s all about you….LOL
hahaha
lets see what happens…
I am REALLY READY…………said my prayers last night for an attractive group and to play the matches in desireable locations.
@nije bitno,
I think he’s ready. I dont think he’s reaaaaaaaaaaally ready.
As long as we get 2 beatable teams it doesnt matter if we got a top 5 favorite. So what if we get a brazil or urugway if thats the last group game.
Germany, Ecuador, Australia
Would be a good group.
Meeting ex opponents is my preference.
Get the chance to get revenge on the teams that stopped us from progressing last time, and playing the Germans on the grand stage doesn’t get any better.
hey Ziva, are you READY?
Ivan, the Africans pot is not big enough for us.
Croatia can end up in the Africans pot?
@666…….Ja se ne vracam. Drzava je u kurcu. Lakse mi je biti pametjakovic na portalu i u Americu nego tamo.
If you are stuck at work like myself you might be able to catch the live draw via CBC (Canada).
http://www.cbc.ca/sports-content/soccer/fifa/video/live/#id=2240340442
@666
Sto je to rvacku?!?
@666
Speak English please, please speak Cratian or English, i want to know what you are saying, if you are half Asian please speak Croasian.
a recite vi meni, sto se ne vratite u hrvatsku, sanjali ste san od stoljeca sedmog, imate rvacku pa sto se ne vracate,
@nepoznat
Why not?
@Wayne in the Final at the mighty Maracana?!?
@Elmo
Would be great to give them a good match one more time.
We gave Brazil a good match once.
@Elmo
Croatia will then impose sanctions on the rest of the fuken world, except for East Timor.
Croatia wins WC and Big Joe grabs the mike and shouts ZA Dom and next day UN imposes sactions on Croatia.
Spain
Chile
United States
Croatia
It would be something to beat Brasil, crazy but that’s what dream’s are!
for those of you tuning at 11:30….no need. wait a bit. there will be a ton of fluff before the draw takes place.
@ Nepoznat
8 long years brate.
I am just happy that we are back in the World Cup.
Kovac will really demonstrate his value by all the diligence he will bring in scouting our opponents while cultivating our unique Croatian style of play.
Za Duh!
Predictions:
Croatia
South Korea
Cameroon
Switzerland
Ignoring the idiot, remembering the Bleiburg massacre instead.
Za Dom
I’ve never been this excited about little white ball’s being handled, fuck as long as we don’t get 2 top 10 teams i’ll be happy.
CvA that’s a dream draw. We’re 11% odds to get fucked. We will play a superior nation from A. Africans have always been dark horses to me. No pun intended. And don’t you all think we are due to play a North American team? 2 wins and a loss and we go thru.
Switzerland, Algeria, Iran, Croatia
That’s what I’m hoping for. This is the lets make travel plans for the Knockout stage group.
Get the rakija out, it’s been 8 long years since we did this last!
Good luck Hrvatska and USA
Come on Greece!
dedicate this trophy to Drazen Petrovic …
if We win the WC 2014 !! and for Me too ^_^