*Match can be seen on ESPN3 in the United States and on The Score in Canada.
Croatia will take their undefeated (5-0-1) World Cup qualifying record against an already eliminated Scotland team this Friday from Maksimir in Zagreb. The Vatreni have only dropped points to co-group A leaders, Belgium, drawing the Belgians 1-1 in Brussels back on September 11th. Although both teams have a runaway lead in the group with 16 points apiece, Belgium has a slight +3 goal differential on Croatia. With top spot earning an automatic berth to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, Croatia will look for plenty of goals against a staggering Scottish side that has only scored one goal on the road this campaign, losing all three games in the process.
Belgium host Serbia on Friday in Brussels, already defeating the Serbs 3-0 on the road. Croatia is looking for some help from their Balkan neighbors but control their own destiny for booking a direct ticket to Brazil. Win out and they are in. What remains: vs. Scotland, @Serbia, vs. Belgium and @Scotland.
However, for the Scotland game this Friday, Croatia will be without the services of star midfielder Luka Modrić and defenders Vedran Ćorluka and Dejan Lovren, due to yellow card suspensions. Ivan Perišić will return to the team after missing the March qualifiers due to a leg injury. Striker Mario Mandžukić will look to maintain his scoring form before heading into the summer break, and deservedly so, trying to add one more international win to his already superb ‘treble’ season at Bayern Munich.
Most people have already chalked up three points for Croatia, looking to see how many goals will hit the back of the net against the Scots. But remember how much trouble Croatia had against Wales in their last qualifying match, going down early and needing two late goals for the victory. You can’t underestimate any team in international competition anymore, but Croatia will nonetheless be gunning for a victory and tons of goals on home soil.
Things to look for:
Will Sammir get decent playing time, setting up a transfer out of Dinamo Zagreb this summer?
Will 16 year-old phenom Alen Halilović get capped for the first time, making him a Croatian player for the rest of his career?
Can Croatia overtake Belgium in the table, setting up an all-important clash in Zagreb on October 11th?
Mateo Kovacic is fucking brilliant, he should be playing alongside Modric as an attacking midfielder.
The “shitty depleted Scottish team” takes the 3 points.And after you telling us we wouldnt cross the half way line?!?
Good luck in the play offs,you’ll need it!
There’s your fucking Sammir. There’s your savez. Evo vam ga na!
JEBO VAS MAMIC!
Ps. Thanks for illustrating the retardedness that can be found on here (pretty much all the time).
Bahahahaha at the “majstore” post up there.
: )
@Nije bitno
Tako je!
ey Ziva! moj prijatelj! jeste li ikad ikome da je priča o tom jednom trenutku otišao u Dubrovnik i jebeno tog tipa u kupaonici pašu?
Xtratime is in a forum format, and divided into discussions that generally stay on topic; because it is moderated.
Here we have a string of chaos, where any discussion is quickly derailed by an individual with some off topic or other crap. Based on some of the crap I’ve seen on this site, it seems that very little to no moderation takes place here.
@Davor from the HNS…..good one
@ Ante B re: xtratime
don’t get too excited as not everyone knows their shit there (I post there after all lol)
anyone need tickets? email me!
davor@hns-css.hr
“Danas nije bitno jesi sa sjevera il juga, dalmatinac il slavonac, dinamovac il hajdukovac! danas smo svi kao jedan! Zagrlimo se pred svima neka vide da nas ima!”
potpora M.P. Thompsonu
Anyone willing to buy Hajduk must and should insist on the city of Split having no shares/ownership of the club.
Hello xtratime! These guys actually seem to know what they’re talking about!
Onte moj- dobro si reka
@Toni
You’re a lesbian if you get a Wambach jersey! 🙂
The leader of the gay parade will be Cico in Split.
@Nepoznat
I think less than 25% is optomistic! If it does ever happen will be interesting to see who get’s in.
p.s just to avoid confusion, I don’t work for the savez! Lol!
Davore,
I don’t see that making a difference either. If you want transparency in Croatian soccer, you have to fundamentally change Croatia much like Estonia did. With today’s mafia in charge, nema sanse.
@Davor IMHO the chances are less than the same 25% the city will retain
Split is more concern with gay parades. There is one this Saturday.
If you’re like me and you CAN’T WAIT to get your Vatreni fix, then in < 1 hour is the start of Croatia v Poland for the U19s. Link to stream:
http://www.firstrow1.eu/watch/190321/1/watch-poland-vs-croatia,-u19.html
@Ante B
I guess it boils down to money.
Croatia 3-0.
I see the new mayor of Split is talking of selling shares for ownership in Hajduk with the city keeping 25% plus one share. What are the chances of that process being transparent and for the good of the club?
@Ziva “let’s call him Davor” – ROFLMAO
@nepoznat….yeah, it was two separate posts…..someone asked for the prices so i sent an email to by buddy for the info. Posting the prices was not “inside” info. I never presented it as such.
Now, here is some info I also got this morning. My guy who works in the savez (lets call him Davor) maintains less than 6,500 tickets have been sold as of Wednesday night/Thursday morning. However, he said free tickets are being given away today in an effort to get more people to turn up at Maksimir.
Anyone claiming a person holding a ticket and not going to the game is not a fan is a complete idiot. Maybe some people rather watch a game in comfort and not have to worry about sitting in bird shit, waiting 20 minutes to take a piss or watching people piss against a wall, walk around with the semll of urine in the air, lack of food and cold beverages and then come back home smelling like a Splican. Would this game be close to a sell out against Belgium? it would. But, this is lower tiered opponent and simply opening the doors and saying “evo vam repka” is not enough.
@Toni…….no, not jock sniffer. Just gay.
Oj, Hrvati, braćo moja, svanuo je dan
Nezavisna država nije više san
Ne smijemo zaboravit dugi teški boj
U kom mnogi dali su za dom život svoj
O, Hrvatske majke što ste propatile
Suze vaše nisu uzaludne bile
Bogu smo se molili i pušku nosili
Zato našu Hrvatsku nisu slomili
Vratite se prognani ka ognjištu svom
Gradit ćemo zajedno ljepši, novi dom
Ej, Hrvati, braćo mila, svanuo je dan
Nezavisna država nije više san
BiH-ZDS
žAP
@Cousin Bilo, I hope you’re right! both of those results would be fantastic!!!
Yes she does
http://store.nascar.com/Danica_Patrick_Jerseys
Davore,
Poljud is the same. When I went, they got 3,000 BBB through one gate that was tiny. Took way too long. An overwhelming majority of the stadiums in Croatia are terrible.
Hrvatska 3
Scotland 1
…for Drazen.
Danica doesn’t wear a jersey !!!!
kreten !!!!
Yeah that other forum has some smart dudes. I like the talk going on over there. The annoying thing is that I gotta hit ‘next’ every 2 mins to get to the other posts.
4-1 win today. For us.
1-1 in the Belgium game. I CAN FEEL IT.
^ Is he also right when he logs out and posts as Anonymous touting himself?!? 😀
You guys make me laugh. This site without Ziva would be boring and frankly he is usually right about most of the things which seems to piss you guys off. Whenever he comments about the savez, Maksimir, Hajduk , etc he makes valid points.
@Ziva Istina “I don’t have an inside man giving me ticket prices…..learn how to read. It was separate posts.”
Oh really? I’m not a Ziva hater, however I want to quote you from earlier for truth:
Ziva Istina says:
Got an email from my guy within the savez………here is the price of tickets for the game tomorrow.
North upper deck: 50 kuna ($9 US)
North lower deck: 70 kuna ($12 US)
South stands: 60 kuna ($10 US)
East stands: 120 kuna ($20 US)
West upper deck: 120 kuna ($20 US)
West lower deck: 250 kuna ($43 US)
Suites: 500 kuna ($86)
June 6, 2013 at 2:39 pm
@ Nije Bitno
Hvala ti puno!
Drazen je bilo sampion za svi.
Am I a jock sniffer if I get a Danica Patrick or Abby Wambach
Jersey?
@Adame
I think about half are really muslims from Bosna. They sentenced some of brothers to long jail terms for defending their ancient lands from Islamic terror and not a peep here.
I usually keep quiet on these posts. I thoroughly enjoy watching and reading the bickering that goes back and fourth on this thread. Everything you guys talk about is always wrong. Stimac turned out to be a good coach for the Repka, Halilovic chose Cro (which idk why anyone would think otherwise considering he played for the CRO U-teams) and so fourth. And for anyone to have tickets to the CRO vs. BEL game in Zagreb and not go, clearly shows that you are not a big enough fan to be supporting the croatian national team.
I don’t have an inside man giving me ticket prices…..learn how to read. It was separate posts.
and to those asking…….no, i would not go to today’s game if I was in ZG and had tickets. For what???? a dead atmosphere.
I would go to the bigger games, but for the smaller games you need to have a modern stadium for me to attend. Again, I don’t like going to games and coming back home smelling like a Splican.
RIP PETRO
Neka mu je laka Hrvatska zemlja.
Drazene Legendooooooooooo
20 years already. Time flies……
regarding today’s game
I don’t think it’ll be a shootout everyone is claiming
3-1 – I see us taking a goal or two lead into the second half and then sealing it somewhere in the 70-80 minute
Strinic, Mandzukic, Perisic
Xtratime is a good (mostly English speaking) Croatian board. Like others have said, it’s a good mix of diaspora and guys from HR/BiH. The mud slinging between the Serbian board guys and the Croatian board is the stuff of legend haha
@Ziva-One things for sure,you are always good for shits and giggles!You have a inside man that gives you ticket prices to games,lol!the Sydney Croatian Community has informed you that they don’t like Mark Bosnich,double lol!you funny!
I was at the Serbia game- my first time at the Maksimir.It needs a serious makeover and some proper planning- my stand had thousands of people entering and exiting though one small gate, took forever. They provided beer outside the stadium with no toilets outside or inside the stadium, had to piss on the walls. For a Fifa WC qualifier game that was high profile I was surprised by the poor standards.
But I would still have gone to watch the game live. No doubt they need to find a solution for the stadium but you can’t beat the live atmosphere.
@Ziva Forget the plane…ur in hrvatska and i give u a ticket, u wouldnt go
When was the last time u saw a game live?
@Ziva Every summer i go to hrvatska, and every summer i go to every hajduk game available…Last march, i took a weekend vacation and went to see hrvatska-srbija, and i can tell u everybody who went to the game were glad they went.
Lets say i gave u a plane ticket and ticket for the belgium v hrvatska game u wouldnt go?
1) i think you go to the stadium not for comfort and amenities but to join in the atmosphere of cheering and celebrating with other fans. humans are naturally social animals and there is an extreme joy they can get out of sharing great experiences simultaneously with thousands of others
2) on another note, for the uninformed, where is the savez corrupt? in calling up players to sell them?
Sydney Croacijooo
Errrrrm perhaps you did not understand what I wrote.
That is a good board, mainly because it’s not polluted with idiots like this place is.
There is no need to tell the trolls on here about that place …
@majstore
I disagree. There’s alot of posters on that forum that really know what they’re talking about.
Croatia 5-0 Scotland.
No Marko, plz don’t tell these guys here about that forum.
Last thing they need over there is trolls talking about race-wars, jock sniffing (homo-erotic much???), who the biggest hrvati are or aren’t and all of the other gluposti that gets posted on here.
@marko…….well go visit a stadium in cro and tell me what you think. You are better off at home watching a game in crystal clear HD.
The atmosphere for big games is great (witnessed so many of them), but i prefer coming home not smelling like a Splican.
We’re roasting a couple lambs tomorrow at my parents’, hopefully I’ll actually get to watch the game as I usually end up being the one to tend the fires. I’ll try to snap a few photos while I’m still reasonably sober.
So the game starts at 11:15 PST tomorrow?
http://www.xtratime.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=380
Here’s a cool hrvatski forum, if u guys didnt know about it
And i would choose stadium over home anyday. If someone has the chance to go to a game, but instead decides to stay home…I would have to doubt if you are a fan at all
Laku noc Svima.
I am dreaming 5-0. Offensive explosion in the first half opens up the flood gates.
I love my parents. I love Croatia and I love our Vatreni!
No amount of worn out pizdari can dampen my experience.
The repka is a true joy for me.
Time to open up a can of whip ass on our Celtic highlanders.
Re-educate them on the best of continental nogomet.
MIR!
@Double D…fans have not gotten worse, its the savez that has gotten worse. If anything Torcida is better than its ever been,
it’s about time the scots get served humble pie from the HNS. 3 games without a win. wtf?
get the EU to cover it…
Ziva Istina with the top secret news of ticket pricing, from “his guy” at the savez.
Lol.
@Ziva
There really should be no “in-game experience” like american sports have in soccer because there’s no down time. Its 90 minutes with a 15 minute break. We don’t need jumbotrons telling us when to clap or sing or do the wave. You go, stand for less than 2 hours, and you go home. Thats it. Id prefer only real fans like myself at games anyways. We don’t need anymore shity corporate fans that just wanna play on their phones the whole time.
Maksimir is like any other stadium built in the communist era, multi purpose. It was better in the 90’s before the renovations but so were the fans then as well. Zagreb needs a new soccer only stadium but who’s going to pay for it?
Mihajlovic is your typical Srb, will call a Hrvat his brate but first chance he gets he’ll stab you in the heart
come on, comparing football to soccer???? comparing american sports to european?? as someone in Cro once said, you Americans only go to sports to sit on your fat asses and eat. and you know what, they’re right!
when looking at nfl attendance issues, it was said prices won’t go down. So what is the next thing that could help?? people responded with having BETTER FOOD?????? WTF are you there to cheer on your team or put on 30 pounds?
I don’t know what I should think but Sinisa Mihajlovic told the Belgian press that he hopes that Croatia and not Belgium will finish first in the group because he has more friends in Croatia than in Belgium.
Demolished and built on top of the new one. Dinamo has only one home and its Maksimir.
Dinamo has scantily clad women just like the NFL.
built
Should the stadium be rebuilt or demolished after another one is belt elsewhere in Zagreb?
@chuckles……..yes, plenty of commercials. But the owners of the teams do everything for the in-game experience.
The track around Maksimir sucks, just like any other stadium with a running track around it.
@Poglavnik:
I would be scabbing right along side of you.
American football? Really?
Half the game is spent waiting for commercial breaks to be over.
Well, maybe if they offered a clean seat, protection from the elements, better food and wifi more people would go. Look at the NFL, I think we can all agree that is the best run sports league in the world. They are having some issues with attendance and fans staying at home to watch the games. So, the league is looking at creative ways to improve the in-game experience. Team owners are spending big money of HD replay boards, wifi upgrades in the stadium, etc…..
The old school approach of lining up a game in a dump and expecting people to show up is long gone, especially for non-premium games.
@Ziva
Well ultimately it comes down to do you prefer sports live or on television. I don’t care how shity the stadium is. People don’t go there for dinner or to play on the internet.
Dario Saric is leaning towards opting out of the NBA draft. Says he wants to hone his skills for another year at home. Probably a good idea other than the massive pay cheque he’s not cashing in on right now…
Focus for what……..Who cares about the Tartan army. It sure hasn’t helped them so far.
Could it lead to a dead atmpsohere in the stadium? Sure, it probably could. Then hopefully the savez can realize the fans are pissed and dont the ZG public doesn’t care about these type of games. Which would lead them to move this game to smaller cities who want to see the repka play.
Nobody is disputing this is a big match for us. People will watch from the comfort of their own homes. You tell me what is more enjoyable; watching from a nice couch or going to a dirty stadium that lacks food, beverages, restrooms, a roof, wifi (and much more). The choice is simple….watch at home.
I’d be a total scab and go to all the games if i lived in Zagreb!
@ Ziva
I can right second thesis on the state of our savez.
The players need live support.
You think the tartan army are going to be quiet?
This is a big match for us.
First place is on the line.
Focus!
Got an email from my guy within the savez………here is the price of tickets for the game tomorrow.
North upper deck: 50 kuna ($9 US)
North lower deck: 70 kuna ($12 US)
South stands: 60 kuna ($10 US)
East stands: 120 kuna ($20 US)
West upper deck: 120 kuna ($20 US)
West lower deck: 250 kuna ($43 US)
Suites: 500 kuna ($86)
@Ziva- “Ask the hardcore Sydney United Supporters what they think of Bosnich”by that do you mean the proper hardcore ones or the hardcore ones that are a bunch of drunkard bufoons?Dont stick to your guns because of opinions of the latter since you are always so right.
@MatesicMethod…..you don’t have to go to the game to support the team. Why should the public go support the savez. The domestic league is in the worst shape it has ever been in. The stadium is a disaster. Why would I want to go to a stadium that has uncomfortable and dirty seats, no roof over the stadium to protect you from rain, no restrooms, no concessions, no jumbotron replay screen, no wifi signal, no parking (I can go on). You get more bang for the dollar by staying home or watching it at a cafe in HD.
The players on the repka know they have the support of the fans (tv TV ratings will reflect that), but the fans in Cro are not stupid and they wont support the savez, especially for games like this against unattractive opponents.
I would be very disappointed if more than 10K people come to the stadium tomorrow. There is no need for them to throw their money away.
@ Ziva
The game is in Zagreb. Hoping people stay home does not support the squad.
We have been waiting months for this.
Need you focused in the basement sending positive vibes !
If Ademi is looking better than Kovacic? then he has got game. I have been fully impressed with Mateo at Inter. Love his 20 meter burst.
If Stimac stars Halilovic tomorrow then he is PLUS 1 in my book.
@ Dinamo Dennis
The more I think about it the more I like Jelavic to start and rough up the Scotland back line. Plus he is due.
sjor ziva knows what hes talking about people !! WAKE UP!!
Rumor is Milic has a deal set to be announced at some point next week with a foreign club (Serie A).
Here is a highlight video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igi8Ev7GxHI
@poglavnik
Asked the same question a few weeks ago. Supposedly the kid has got some talent. Some said that this was also a business call up, so that they would be able to sell the kid for more. I haven’t really seen him play though.
@marko & nepoznat……I agree with you. I would think Kovacic is a given, but according to Stimac Ademi has played better in training.
Again, the lineup I listed is based on what is coming out of the camp and not what i think will take place.
Anyone know anything about Istra’s Hrvoje Milic. Does he have some promising potential?
@Ziva Kovacic?
@Ziva I just can’t see Kovacic not getting the start considering how well he played out the club season.
Also Badelj is more deserving then Sammir IMHO
@Croatia vs. Antwerp…….if the fans were smart they would not waste their money on this game. The forescast looks bad and I doubt they sell more than 10K for Friday. That is what they get for not giving this game to a smaller city.
Based on what is being said/reported in ZG. We can expect the following line up:
Pletikosa
Srna – Schifo – Yellow Card Joe – Strinic
Rakitic – Ademi – Sammir – Perisic
Olic-Mandza
which I don’t totally believe. I cant see Ademi starting, but Stimac has surprised us before.
Weather for tomorrow:
http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/findweather/getForecast?hourly=1&query=zmw:00000.1.14240&yday=157&weekday=Friday
kinda humid but not too hot. 50ish % chance of rain/thunderstorm
@ MatesicMethod
Coming off the bench…Sammir for Halilovic, Kranjcar for Perisic, Dudu for Jelavic(or Badelj for Kovacic)
According to Stimac Halilovic “might start” and “Krancjar will not replace Modric”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22799276
I’m not even considering playoffs at the moment–it’s not apart of my vocabulary.
Without question we have to win all of our remaining matches to ensure automatic qualification and a top seeding in the World Cup. If we get a top seed for the WC–that’s a ticket to the quarterfinals (Assuming we win the WC group, and draw the 2nd best in another group).
As for match attendance, something like 6,000 tickets are sold (2,000 to the Scots) so far. Come match time, there will be more.
With the economy the way it is, people figure why pay in advance when they can buy at the gate given so many seats available.
People are trying to hold on to their Kuna as long as possible. Money’s real tight over there–even if it is $10-$15 per ticket.
Also, lets hope people don’t go out on a Thursday night and piss all their money away. Not to mention, some people will get paid on a Friday so they will have the money to buy tickets that night. So TGIF!
@Croatia vs Antwerp … brother, we all have a checkered past… and a checkered future 🙂 lol
@Mishko
Welcome to what used to be Western Europe. However, what are their IQ scores?
Thanks 4th Generation…I totally missed that for some reason.
@4th Generation of Being Brainwashed. Come to L.A., I’ll drop you off in Compton so you can get a dose of REALITY. Real life isn’t the Disney channel and this bullshit lover fest portrayed by the khazars and their love fest of multiculturalism which they push on everyone else except themselves.
Grow up and pull your head out of your ass.
.
Darko, he has a suspension due to previous yellow cards.
You american-croats are a bunch of uneducated rednecks!!!
Watching the U21 Belgium team, holy smokes are any of these kids from Belgium on that team? They’re all africoons and muzzies.
Also, I see some countries are releasing their new national team kits. Anyone have any idea when Croatia will be releasing theirs?
Go Croatia!
I enjoy reading everyone’s suggested line-ups, however why are people not including Modric, am I missing something?
@dannyj “how does it work, say if we finished as the top 2nd place team would we play the worst 2nd place team?”
@MatesicMethod “Top 4 second place teams are seeded 1-4 and draw matches from the other 4 teams. I think ?
Second place in our group could draw many top national sides like a Sweden. Not a path you want to take.
Destiny is in our hands.”
If I’m looking at the tables right, we would be one of the top 4 2nd place teams which (currently) means we would play one of a team like Israel, Iceland, Sweden, Bulgaria, England, France, Greece, Hungary. 3 of those would be with us playing against the 4 best remaining teams with 1 who loses out on a playoff chance. So there are a few tougher teams there like England, France, Sweden maybe even Greece but the remaining ones aren’t as tough. So in all likelihood we would get a decent playoff draw
all that being said, let’s win out and not worry about any of that nonsense nor tiebreakers, etc! Ajmo Vatreni!!!
@Ziva
I thought your cleaning lady is your mama? 🙂
@jm
Agreed about going easy on Halilovic. Nobody here could even imagine what his life is like. Zuti got death threats when he was choosing between Hrvatska and Serbia. Lets see what his character is really like before we start bashing him. I mean he’s what, 17 years old right now?
To me the FIFA ranking is not important. Eventually, you have to beat the teams you play to advance.
Hvala guys that is good to know!
We need Italy to lose to Brazil at Confederations cup if they win their qualifier, friendly and all other games at the group stage at Confederations cup just to stay ahead of them.
Top 7 might be tough… we might wind up right below that in 8th/9th grr
@ Ustani,
Type-o.
Everything that MatesicMethod said above is true. Host+top 7 in the world at the time of the draw are seeded.
@ Nepoznat
Host Brazil is #1
Then the FIFA top 7 seeds become group leaders.
The next 3 spots go with zones etc…
Being seeded allows us to avoid Brazil and the other top 6 teams in the world.
We beat Belgium and automatically qualify we will set ourselves up to get out of group play.
Italy and Spain went to the finals from our group at the Euro’s!
At what point does FIFA decide who is seeded?
@Ante how many seeds are there at the WC?
Columbia and Italy are able to bump us down to 6th but the rest should stay behind us even if we lose to Portugal
jelavic could be an advantage against the Scots, assuming the majority play in the SPL
@Ante Kvartuc
We are in fourth place not third place.
June FIFA rankings out…
Croatia remain #3 but Belgium move to 12 and Bosnia crack the top 15…
FIFA rankings suck but if we can qualify automatically at this pace, we will be a seed at the WC, which is big news.
We’ll see the line up that they go with, but I just dont see Jelavic getting a start. He has really done ZERO for the last six months.
Many reasons……..
Because the people who run the savez are corrupt. Why give many to them????
The game is against Scotland and who wants to see Scotland play????
ZG fans get the bigger games so this is not something anyone is banging on the doors to watch.
I’m not sure about tickets, but I would imagine the average price is around $10-$15 for the shittier seats. Not high by our standards, but why pay when you can watch on HD in the comfort of your own home or a cafe. Plus, Maksimir is a disaster of a stadium to attend a game. No concessions/decent food, dirty seats, no restrooms, no roof over the stadium in case it rains, etc…
Do I really need to list the reasons? If this was the final game that decided the group, the stadium would be almsot sold out, but for this game, no chance.
@ Dinamo Dennis
Sign me up for that line up!
I like the Jelavic upfront to start bringing physicality and Mandza just off of him.
Who do you have coming off the bench ?
@Elvis, has to be more, in Australia i’m waking up at 445 to watch the game and i ‘m an ametuer fan.
@ Sgt Pickle
It is because they are snobs and they only want to see top level games.
Because they’re tired with the politics and mafia. Most of you guys say “it won’t work” but those people obviously have had enough. You can’t count the game versus Serbia because that’s transcendent.
Tomorrow will be 20 years since the death of Drazen Petrovic.
Zivot leti kapetane, pocivaj u miru Bozjem
@Ziva
Do you know what the tickets are being sold for?
why don’t people wan to go?
By the way, props to public in ZG for ignoring the game tomorrow. I talked to a friend this morning connected with savez who said less than 6,000 tickets have been sold for Friday. There is also an article in one of the Cro dailes claming about 4,000 tickets have been sold, 2,000 of which were sold to Scottish fans. So, one source says 4K, but source says about 6K, either way looks like there will be less than 10K for the game. Well done.
This is a big “Fuck You” to Puppet Suker and the other idiots within the savez. These smaller matches should never be played in ZG.
If we are to judge the team based on what Stimac has been saying then expect Ademi to start.
mandzukic Jelavic
halilovic
perisic rakitic
kovacic
strinic schindenfeld simunic srna
pletikosa
ajde Srbija
belgija – 0
srbija – 1
The Aussies are great. Where else can you find tennis hooligans?
@Andy, love watching Robbie @Bozza, flares are costly but the ethnic clubs need to be heard in oz.
@ jebiga, i remember in that same pre show robbie slater breaking out a ” zivila croatia “
I read about a cetnik being let off the hook.
@Toni
You are right on. Sadly, to many here are just stupid.
Interesting how the ICTY gave a total of 6 years to Bosniak commanders for the pre-planned, violent / gunpoint ethnic cleansing of over 150,000 Croatian civilians in Central Bosnia, Northern Herzegovina and East Mostar, as well as the rounding up and imprisoning of over 14,000 Croatians (only 4,000 of them HVO POWs captured by the Army of BH) in over 330 concentration camps on Izetbegovic fiefdom held territory, with over 600 being beaten and tortured to death while in captivity.
Who will ever be held accountable for these crimes by the ABiH and Mujahideen that Izetbegovic publicly invited to fight for Islam (not a democratic B&H)?
@Jebiga……ask the hardcore Sydney United supporters what they think of Bosnich after his comments a few months ago about the “hooligans”. Bosnich is Croatian as my cleaning lady.
Would love a win, after watching the Wales game i know it’s possible but far from easy, looking forward to it!
a win in zagreb against belgium in the fall is the ultimate goal but it would be damn comforting if we can go ahead on goal difference by then and only need a draw in that match. i agree a narrow win today ain’t a bad thing, however, let’s try and keep the pressure off us if possible by building up goal differential
look forward to seeing halilovic get his first cap. this kid looks like a keeper
look forward to not seeing sammir take the field. his ass should be nailed to the bench, no matter what the score is
look forward to seeing belgium drop points against the serbs (cant believe i am saying that). a youthful team can become an overconfident team and that is a recipe for a belgium mistake. the serbs had their asses handed to them last time they played belgium and are looking to salvage some pride. perhaps they can squeeze out a draw
prediction: 3-0 for the good guys (mandzukic, big joe and jelavic…..he has to break his slump eventually, doesnt he?)
Kovacic interview: http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/462375/nogomet-reprezentacija/kovacic-dosta-se-prica-kao-da-smo-vec-pobijedili-skotsku-ali-mi-ih-moramo-shvatiti-maksimalno-ozbiljno/
http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/462382/nogomet-reprezentacija/pletikosa-protiv-skota-moramo-ustrajati-na-svojoj-igri-takav-stil-im-ne-odgovara/
@Anonymous:
Americans and Aussies are separated by a common language.
I love the Aussie slang.
I forgot about
Ante Jazic
Ivan Klasnic
Prosinecki
Kovac brothers
@ Croatia v A
Agree with you 100%.
Our group has competed against the best at the Euro’s. We have gotten better since and produced a strong result in Brussels.
If the Serbs don’t show this Friday I would be shocked. They have some quality in their side and a result against Belgium would start to their national program around.
Croatians know quality and the Belgium match in Zagreb for a spot in the WC 2014 will get Maksimir to the right temperature.
I find Belgium a little young and not quite together as a dominate side should be.
Plus our younger takent feel at home playing for Dynamo over the years.
Jebi ga!
If you told me you get a match to win against Belgiuim at home to go to the WC. I would have taken it any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
@ Danny J.
Top 4 second place teams are seeded 1-4 and draw matches from the other 4 teams. I think ?
Second place in our group could draw many top national sides like a Sweden. Not a path you want to take.
Destiny is in our hands.
Uvijek Vjerni
Bozza BosnicHHHHHH cant even speak cro,, no time for that bloke, youll find him on odd accasion at punchbowl christmas disco cokin it
Lol ziva what are you talking about? Boza is not hated here in sydney. He’s actually a quite respected columnist and commentator who always pays respect to Croats and our croatian clubs here…I remember during the a league final pre match show be was talking up sydney united and the croatian players they produced and their contribution to the a league that the other tv presenter had to interrupt him and bring him back on topic.
lets beat the belgiums out and hopefully they don’t even qualify for brazil the back way
obviously if we were second place in group we would be one of the second place teams to play a playoff with our high number of points
how does it work, say if we finished as the top 2nd place team would we play the worst 2nd place team?
I believe in Jesus Christ
on a side note i don’t think we should be bashing halilovic at all for any non-croatness. in the end, the guy picked croatia and said he was proud to do it and it wasn’t much of a choice. thats all we can ask. perhaps he went thru a one year phase where he said he wouldn’t announce which repka he was gonna play for, but in the end,the guy does have a bosniak father and some strong forces pulling him that way and had the right to take a moment to think about it. we shouldn’t be bashing him, but praising him in the end for turning down those other forces and choosing to proudly play for hrvatska
@Ziva-Ohh Ziva,I was wondering what negative comment you would come up with in the name of apparently telling it as it is.I was actually thinking you would come up with something other than this,but I am in Sydney.The Hrvati here don’t particularly have any concerns about Bosnich largely speaking.I am sure there are those that will say “stuff him,he is a loser,had the world at his feet and let it go”this is mainly in reference to his drug problems.Some feel he also has a certain arrogance about him.The guy has worked hard to sort himself out again and is actually quite clever commentator and columnist who looks out for other Croats with his commentary.As often,you are partially right only,and as always looking for a opportunity to jump on someone. 🙂
screw belgium. they might look good on paper, but all we need is one night of magic in zagreb to carry us through. i think the team has got it in them
@ Marko, him too.
@Mishko Favre 😉
I’m thinking Brett Farve
———Farve—Farve—Farve———–
— Farve—-Farve—-Farve—–Farve–
——-Farve————–Farve—————
——Farve——Farve—-Farve————–
——————Farve————————–
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MX0nuEuuKIk
.
@ Matesic and Mr. Black
That Belgium team is stacked from top to bottom. And they have a lot of depth. Even if some players are on yellow cards they have the quality to replace them.
And if you thought Belgium was HAZARDous enough, Eden Hazard’s got a younger brother on the team named Thorgan. And he’s tired of being in his brother’s shadow and has a point to prove.
Belgium has the edge over Croatia in Attack, Defense, and Goalkeeping. In Midfield both teams are comparable. Thibaut Coutois just got named best keeper in Spain. On paper, they are one of the best teams in the World along with Spain and Germany. But their Achilles heel is their inexperience.
I agree with Matesic, having Belgium in our group keeps us sharp. They are a good Benchmark. And it gives us a real rival that will bring out our best.
Ask the hrvati down in Sydney what they think of him…..Bosnich is not liked.
@Chuckles-Kinda funny.Many on the site wont quite know who Mark Bosnich is.(Croatian-Australian)Generally Croatia does not produce goalkeepers,this guy was one of the best going around.Played at Aston Villa,Man U and Chelsea.He got messed up by drugs for a while, but writes a nice column these days as well as stuff on TV and radio.He is alright!
I hope Fellaini gets red carded during the Croatia-Belgium match.
Jelavic should know what pushes his buttons and he should pass it on to the rest of the team.
Ziva’s Dream Multigenerational lineup
—————–Prso—Razov—Viduka———–
— Sertic—-Rakitic—-Eduardo——–Ilicevic–
——-Sammir————–Halilovic—————
—————–Simunic———-Srna————–
———————Bosnich————————–
@ Bobby V
Stimac has created a culture of competition within the squad. He has taken as many players as possible due to the need to have every player understand that you must fight for your place.
My only knock on Bilic is things got too cosy at the end and we lost our edge.
@ Mr. Black
Glad to know we have a Hrvat working for us on the inside.
Belgium has crew. I feel it is a blessing for us as they keep our campaign sharp. We need to make a deep run at the WC so we can start to be pot 1 during all these draws for major tournaments.
Forgive me for the reduduncy or the obvious but I must say that Modric separates us a bit, as his unifying presence creates a fluidity in our side that is superior to Belgium. They may have more talent top to bottom but we have the creative midfielder, the hot stoker and the home field.
So much for focusing on Scotland and Serbia.
————————Mandzukic————————-
————-Perisic—–Eduardo——Srna————–
——————–Kovacic—–Badelj——————–
Strinic——-Schildenfeld——-Simunic——–Vida—
———————-l Pletikosa l————————-
Any guesses on formation?
Is Stimac going to take a page out of Bilic’s playbook from the last ROI game?
Has Kranjcar accelerated past a brisk walk within the last month?
I wouldn’t mind seeing this 4-2-3-1
Mandzukic
Perisic———Kranjcar————Srna
Kovacic———Vukojevic
Strinic—–Schildenfeld——Josip——-Vida
Pletikosa
I like Kranjcar. He seems to have goals in him and has already scored against Scotland and Belgium.
If we play a 4-2-3-1 who do you guys like in the “2” slots.
Vukojevic has never impressed me with his passing, but he makes smart fouls at crucial moments.
@Bobby V:
We need wingers to have the most talented midfield.
Perisic should be good for a while.
Ivo is always hurt and Srna is aging.
Who is rooting for Serbia over Belgium?
That is a tough one.
I have a funny feeling that Serbia well either beat or tie Belgium…Serbia was embarrassed at home by Belgium…so i think the Serbs will be ready…also i am pretty sure that Belgium has a friendly game on U.S. Soil a few days before…they may be jet lagged…at least i hope…it will be one of the few if not only times that i would cheer for Serbia to win. Also as for it game against the scots…i don’t think it will be a walk in the park…with 3 main players it due to yellows…we may struggle to find our chemistry we better win 🙂
No Surrender!!!
They were lost HRvati that we were going to bring back from that ottoman poision. I truly believe that if the good guys won WW2 we would have forced them to convert.
Crna Legija was 40% Muslim
@Ziva
Muslims are usually quiet until they have a sizable population. Look at how they behave in Western Europe.
Pure Savages!!! They will always protect one another. We are Croats and if some want to be Mujos they can move to Turkey!! Wait until the muslim world catchs on and sees how many of them we have on our team. I don’t want no fucken Turkish or Islamist shits wearing our jerseys. Wake up!
CousinBilo,
I live in Belgium and I know their team well. The last 20 years, they were having shit teams but now they have at least 20 or 25 quality players. It’s amazing. The names with the yellow cards? Trust me, they can replace all of them without making the team less strong.
We have to beat Scotland two times, take a point in Serbia and beat the Belgians in Zagreb. I know, it’s not easy but I don’t think that the Belgians will be dropping points in their reamaining games(only we will be able to beat them).
Plogavnik :
Lets hope. I’ll be depressed if Belgium beats Croatia. Can you imagine what I will have to go through if Croatia loses. Belgians on the street celabrating their victory over Croatia and I– already in bed trying to sleep.
Where you all watching the game?
@Mr. Black
Hopefully the Croatian media do their part in promoting the Belgium match and we get an atmosphere somewhat resembling that of the Serbia match.
If that can happen Belgium don’t stand a chance! 🙂
http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/croatia-players-manager-enjoy-boozy-1928476
hahaha
mandzukic olic
perisic kovacic rakitic ilicevic
badelj
strinic schindenfeld simunic srna
pletikosa
Also, for Belgium:
Benteke, Mirallas, Vertonghen, Chaldi, Dembele, Witsel, and Vermaelen are all on yellow cards. Interesting to see how they will play against Serbia/Scotland, and if they will all be available against Hrvatska.
stimac seems like a good coach right now, but in the end we just don’t know. the sample size is small. he could have done everything the same as he’s done but rakitic doesn’t hit a bomb goal against macedonia and we end up tying and croatia doesn’t string together some late game heroics against wales and we end up losing or tying. we could very easily be sitting with at least one or two ties or a loss and everyone would be calling for his head. so far, i like what he’s doing, but i’ll hold final judgement for a while longer
I live in Belgium and every newspapers and tv station is talking about the Belgian National Team. They’ve created a hype around that team. Some players(like Vincent Kompay) are already talking about winning the World Cup.
This is probably how Belgium will play against the Serbs.
Goalkeeper : Courtois (Atletico Madrid)
Defense(from right to left) : Alderweireld(Ajax) Kompany(Manchester City), Vertonghen(Tottenham), Poccognioli(Hannover)
3 midfielders : Most defensive : Axel Witsel(Zenith Petersburg) As a number 8 : Moussa Dembele(Tottenham) and as number 10 : Nacer Chadli(Twente, Holland)
On the wings : Right side : Kevin De Bruyne(Werder Bremen)
Left side : Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Striker : Benteke (Aston Villa)
Vermaelen(Arsenal) is out due to an injury. Perhaps Fellaini(Everton) will take the place of Chadli but I doubt it.
Alder(To
Stimac is a good coach, but he has a checkered past. 🙂
Most people here wanted Stimac fired before he even took over the club. Let’s give him credit for two things.
Most questioned his calling out players in the media – that it would cause players to resign from the national team. They also viewed him as an ultra Damatinac-right winger who would call up only pure Croats and favor Hajduk players.
If anything, his biggest success so far is that he has brought the national side closer to the people of Croatia than Bilic or anyone has ever done. Brilliant move training in Medjugorje.
He has also shown that he is willing to call anyone up who is eligible to play for Croatia, creating a healthy compitition for spots. He’s still a crazy hot-head, but, our players seem to respond to this type of leadership the best.
There is no doubt in my mind that the next 5 years will be the best since 1998…..and that by the 2018 World Cup, we will have the most talented midfield in the World. Modric, Rakitic, Kovacic and Halilovic.
“Palachinke”
Oh dear, sums up all you yanks.
New borns
@Stipe……….i dont care what religion he is……The captain of the repka (Srna) is a half mujo. Other guys who wore the jersey were not catholic (Miladin Prso, Zuti, Balaban). Hell, I’m willing to bet half of the team doesn’t even know what the inside of a chrcuh looks like. Ademi is on the squad, him beign a mujo is non issue.
Also, you do realize that muslims also fought for and with hrvati during WWII and the war in the 90s.
so if Halilovic plays for Croatia, is he gonna change is religion to ya kno, a real religion, catholic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I dont care how good this kid is, i dont kno anything about him, i dont want a mucahadine playing wearing a croatian jersey, people got to realize that that during the war, we were taken out muslims left and right…..
@Nepoznat
Your right this weekend though.
I can see Stimac starting Eduardo, Olic, and Mandza this game
Mandzukic Olic
Eduardo
Perisic Kovacic Rakitic
Strinic Simunuc Schildenfeld Srna
Pletikosa
Expect Srna and Strinic to spend most of the game in Scotlands half making it basically a five man midfield. 2-0 Croatia win. Srna penalty, Mandzukic (olic type goal). Halilovic first off the bench for Olic.
@nepoznat @elvis
“Whip some up”
Don’t taste the same as bakas or mamas. =(
@Elvis super easy to make, no? whip some up!
Fuck I miss palachinke 🙁
@Anonymous
Don’t underestimate Belgium.
Their line-up looks look a Premier League all-star team.
In fact I have no problem saying their line-up looks better than ours right now.
The only thing they are lacking is experience and I still question their unity.
To say we don’t deserve to be in the WC if we don’t beat them is absurd!
Croatia will win 4-0.
Serbia will lose 5-1.
Anyway, I have something fun lined up for the weekend for you guys, so stay tuned. Sorry for the lengthy absence, but I had been spending time with my sister and 9 month old nephew over the past month as they had been in town.
@ Toni
I want to see Ilicevic on the right wing for us attacking the defense. He can learn Croatian as he dribbles past defenders.
@ Elvis
No Muslim can resist Dalmatinski Prsut!
I am sure his Mom fed him all the good domaci.
Halilovic plays this one for sure. I would have him come on in the 70th minute of a 3-0 game to make it 4-0.
We’ll have to see our form in the fall before we know for sure, who knows Mandzukic might be riding the bench behind Lewandowski and then maybe Olic too and then all our forwards would be subs at their club teams (Jela/Dudu too). I like how Stimac has been coaching and the team is oozing confidence, let’s hope that carries over the summer as well. And I don’t think Stimac would play for a draw like Bilic seemed to multiple times…
I’m just saying. It’s in our hands now. If we can’t beat them in the one game that matters, that’s pretty weak. We’ve had our destiny in our hands a few times before, and have choked. I think that proves that we weren’t good enough at those times. That said, I think we are good enough now, and it would be a huge statement to be able to grab the group by the balls by beating Belgium, who one paper, at least, are our equals.
right……Belgium looks like a legot team with the roster they have. No shame if we do lose to them in ZG (dont think we will). Shit, we lost to Greece in qualifying for the Euros and still made it.
If we can’t beat belgium we shouldnt even be allowed to go to the world cup.
SDP has taken over Zagreb, Split and Vukovar. Vukovar will have cirilica in the next two years. The people voted for SDP because they were tired of the corruption, mafia and fake nationalism. That being said, it doesn’t mean they’re not susceptible to diaspora comments. I still can’t believe Split went red.
@Elvis……I’m guessing Halilovic is like most muslims from the former Yugo and a non-practicing mujo.
@Elvis…..the entire country need an adjustment. SDP (commies) are no different in power than HDZ was. Hell, I can make an argument that HDZ (post war when Tudjman was falling apart in 1998) have done more damage to the country than SDP did.
The people in Cro are free to vote and they voted SDP back in power last year. So, they feel SDP is the better option for them. That just shows you have bad HDZ has been.
Has anyone seen Halilovic pray five times day or reject bacon?
@Ziva Istina
Well then the government needs an attitude adjustment. I cringe when I see the communists that run it.
Belgium wins 2-0 and we win 4-1. Halilovic (Allah) makes a cameo in the last 10 mins to lock him in foreverrr.
@Ziva
Completely agree!
If we just beat Belgium then we can afford a tie somewhere else. However no one wants to not get 3 points in Serbia!
lol @ the Halilovic/Illicevic/Sammir pairing…
boze, boze… god help the repka if we see that haha
VOLITE MAMICA
VOLITE STIMACA
VOLITE SUKERA
HOCETE SAMMIRA
A MI DAMIRA
@IVO……well, its apparant ZG (meaning the cro govt) wont do anything for the hrvati in BiH. They haven’t done anything for them in years. So, the point has been made many times that the hrvati in BiH would be better off if they dropped their hope for ZG to help out and turned their focus to Sarajevo to improve their situation.
The brazilian-born wanna be hrvat starting against Scotland is not going to get him a transfer. A transfer would already take place regardless of the Scotland game. Club teams throughout Europe are not crazy and will not make their decision based on one single game against a depleted, shitty Scotland side. They have years of video on the brazilian-born wanna be hrvat to make a decision on him.
@Laknat……..since you mentioned Halilovic, wouldn’t it be from Allah of Halilovic
Ideal MF pairing for the Scotland game would include:
the brazilian-born wanna be hrvat – the half mujo who needed convincing to play for hrvatska – Ilicevic (can’t speak croatian). Imagine them in the starting line up and watching them when the himna is played. One guy wouldn’t understand it, for another guy it would not be an anthem he dreamed of playing for and for the third guy it would be the same as nothign being plauyed.
And some here have said that Croats there should look to Sarajevo and not Zagreb. What is wrong with you people?
They are a Turkish Suburb.
http://www.turkishweekly.net/news/150083/turkish-fm-inaugurates-historical-sarajevo-mevlevi-dervish-lodge.html
Will Sammir get decent playing time, setting up a transfer out of Dinamo Zagreb this summer? I DONT CARE
Will 16 year-old phenom Alen Halilović get capped for the first time, making him a Croatian player for the rest of his career?
YES OF COURSE,. THE GOD OF HALILOVIC SO WORTHY
Can Croatia overtake Belgium in the table, setting up an all-important clash in Zagreb on October 11th? YES IT CAN, WITH 4 GOALS FROM THE GOD OF HALILOVIC
I have a sick feeling that it will be Sammir in midfield alongside kovacic or in front of him..
a 1-0 win for me is fine. I don’t care about goal difference considering we control our own destiny. Beat Scotland, tie Serbia, beat Belgium at home and then beat Scotland on the road gives us first place.
@Toni I would love a 3 goal margin! I hope you are right, although I personally don’t have much hope in Jelavic scoring as he is still in a slump and not getting much club playing time so his form is down
We have never beaten them 3 draws in 3 games. Just Saying…
“I found it difficult to adapt at first but in time it became my home. My heart is in Croatia but I will always be fond of Brazil”.
-Eduardo on making the move to Croatia
I hope he gets cut after we qualify.
Will Jelavic play? Maybe he needs to pit himself against some ex-Gers players to get his form juices flowing… Or maybe Dado Prso can offer some tips on how to beat up on Scottish players…
I’d like to see Iilicevic play as he’s been much talked about but rarely seen in the national team kit…
I recently predicted the Bayern – Dortmund 2-1 score correctly with a Mandzu goal; Friday I see a 3 goal margin of victory for Croatia: 3-0, Mandzukic good for a goal, Jelavic too if he plays and how bout Srna or Kovacic to round out the scoring?
dont except any favours from the serbs.. anyway lets rack up some goals