Croatian midfielder Ivan Perisic has talked about the UEFA Nations League final on Sunday against Spain saying that his side's experience will give them an edge.
Croatia, who came very close to lifting the FIFA World Cup in 2018 as they were the runner-ups, are now looking forward to an international trophy for the first time in their history.
“We have been together for a long time and there is a core of the team that has developed a deep understanding after all these years,” Perisic said ahead of the final against Spain on Sunday.
“I believe that we might have a little competitive advantage. We had a great experience from Russia and from Qatar. But we're still talking about Spain, who are always going to turn out a great national side.”
The 34-year-old also mentioned Spain's young core while stating that some of them do not play for great clubs.
“The Spanish team has lots of new, young players but they do play for great clubs. Yes, we do have more experience than they do, having been runners-up at the 2018 World Cup and then third in Qatar," he said.
Croatia qualified for the final after defeating the Dutch National team by 4-2 on Wednesday (June 14), meanwhile Spain defeated Italy 2-1 thanks to a late winner by Espanyol’s striker Joselu.
On the other hand, Croatia head coach Zlatko Dalic talked about the final saying that another positive was that there had not been much change in their side since the Qatar World Cup last December.
“We had a great World Cup in Qatar, where we were a team that have played great matches and put together great results. I think our game has not changed much since," he said.
“Almost all the players are the same. They're here. Of course, we miss (defender Josko) Gvardiol a lot. He's one of our greatest strengths.”
The 21-year-old centre-back, Gvardiol, who had a massive breakout in the World Cup in December, is ruled out of the final because of an injury.
“I'm happy that we play great football, I'm happy that we have great players playing at big clubs in good leagues, and also we have a Croatia league that is competitive and a good springboard for those at home,” Dalic concluded.