Luka Modric admitted that facing Vinicius Junior in Brazil vs. Croatia will be "difficult".

A tough duel between clubmates. Croatia awaits Brazil in search of the semifinals of Qatar 2022 led again by midfielder Luka Modric who will face several clubmates such as Vinicius, Rodrygo, or Eder Militao. In the face of this, the Croatian captain spoke about the difficult confrontation to come.

The captain of the Balkan team, World Cup runner-up, puts personal relationships aside in a crucial clash for Croatia and Brazil: "Playing against teammates at Real Madrid? We can be friends after the match. But while each one fights for their country and we will do everything to win. I'm looking forward to playing against them."

Likewise, Modric referred to Vinicius Junior - who also spoke about the Croat: "He is in incredible form. He is a great guy and we have a great relationship. He has improved a lot. It is noticeable both at the club and in the national team. We have a difficult task because it is hard to stop Vinicius. Everyone already knows his virtues but if I can make it difficult for him at a certain moment, I will."

Luka Modric has never defeated Brazil and it is something he is aware of: "I have played several times against them but I have not been able to beat them. I hope this changes. Brazil has great players in all positions. We have to be aggressive, run like them, and not let them play. That is important. When we don't have the ball, we must be aggressive and firm."

"Brazil and Argentina are the best teams in the world and they have many great players. I enjoy watching them and it is a pleasure to play against such teams. On Friday we have a new opportunity. It is something that all players want, to face great teams in football," he said.

The Real Madrid player assumes the underdog role with which Brazil starts: "We play as we play. Sometimes it's good and sometimes it's not, but we always do everything possible to be at a high level and represent Croatia in the best way. I truly believe that we can achieve something great."

"We don't worry about statistics. We are focused on ourselves. Of course, everyone gives more chances to Brazil and all the teams that play against us like Argentina, Brazil, and Spain, who are always the favorites. But we have shown many times that the favorites don't always win. That doesn't worry us. We respect everyone but we are also capable of everything," he warned.

"We did something important by reaching the quarterfinals, but regardless of that, we want even more. We have the biggest match of the tournament ahead of us, against one of the favorites for the title. Brazil is always the favorite and they have shown it in this tournament. We have to be at our best and give our all. If we do that, we will have chances. It is a match against a great opponent but we have our qualities and confidence," he pointed out.