Modric vs. Cheryshev, a duel of former Real Madrid teammates in Russia vs. Croatia
In the match between Russia and Croatia in the quarterfinals of the 2018 World Cup, an individual duel stands out between one of the revelation forwards of the tournament and one of the central defenders who has improved the most in the last year. Artem Dzyuba and Dejan Lovren will star in a confrontation that will catch the eye of all the fans at the Olympic Stadium in Sochi, where the last team to qualify for the semifinals of the competition will be defined.
Artem Dzyuba arrived at this tournament without even having a guaranteed spot in the starting lineup and today he is the main route to goal for Russia alongside Denis Cheryshev. With a height of 1.94 meters, he has been a headache for every defender who has had the responsibility of marking him, especially in aerial plays.
On the other hand, Dejan Lovren is a defender who a year ago did not inspire much confidence but, as a key part of the Liverpool team that reached the Champions League final, he gained respect at the European level and so far in Russia 2018, he has formed a good central defender duo in Croatia with Domagoj Vida. Also, despite not being very fast, Lovren makes that flaw go unnoticed on several occasions with his ability to constantly win aerial balls.
In a match with top-level players like Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic, it is a bit difficult not to take your eyes off them for what they are capable of doing on the field. However, this duel between Dejan Lovren and Artem Dzyuba could be decisive in the final result of Croatia vs. Russia since a large part of it will be developed in the penalty areas.