Croatia and Canada face off in the second round of Group F of the World Cup, at the Khalifa International Stadium. The match will not take place until this Sunday, at 1:00 p.m. (Brasília time), but it has already started to gain contours of tension even before the opening whistle.

It all started with a controversial statement from Canadian coach John Herdman. After the 1-0 loss to Belgium in the inaugural World Cup, the coach revealed what he said to his team to cheer them on. “I showed them that this is what they can do, and that we are going to f… Croatia, as simple as that,” the coach said.

The speech was not well received by the Croatian delegation and became one of the topics discussed at the press conference on Saturday, which was attended by coach Zlatko Dalic and striker Ivan Perisic.

Dalic made a point of disapproving of the opponent’s statement and preached respect. “The Croatian team deserves respect and dignity. We respect everyone equally and we deserve their respect as well. Canadians should respect us,” he commented.

“This type of talk is not a sign of respect. We are second, we deserve respect,” he added.

Perisic promised a “different” Croatia in the duel. In the first game, Modric and the company team disappointed and did not leave the draw with Morocco, 0-0. The player also took the defense of the group and said: “I Can’t wait for the game to start.”

“We have to be competitive and aggressive. The team did very well in defence, but in attack we don’t play the way we know how to. We will see a different Croatia against Canada. We have to play our game and attack. C It’s our football,” said the Versatile midfielder.

“About that, [fala de Herdman] I support our coach and can’t wait to be on time for the game.”