Croatia Can Repeat Form Of 1990s

Mar 23 2008

NIKO KRANJCAR has warned the rest of the world that Croatia are ready to repeat their famous feats of 10 years ago.

The Portsmouth midfielder - who will face Scotland in midweek - is part of a new generation taking European football by storm.

As well as Kranjcar the likes of Arsenal ace Eduardo, Manchester City's Vedran Corluka and Dinamo Zagreb wonderkid Luka Modric are all destined for the top.

Boss Slaven Bilic will need to do without crocked Eduardo at Euro 2008. But Kranjcar reckons the Croats can be every bit as good as the side that dazzled at Euro 96 and finished third at the 1998 World Cup.

He said: "We have the talent and there are some great players coming through.

"This team can only get better so there's no hurry. It doesn't need to happen at the Euros this year.

"We want to take every chance we get and progress at Euro 2008. Anything is possible.

"Greece proved four years ago what can happen - they gave every nation hope.

"Everyone remembers the great Croatia team of the 90s with Robert Prosinecki, Zvonimir Boban and Davor Suker.

"It was during the civil war and made us so proud - sport was the country's biggest ambassador.

"They made the quarter-finals of Euro 96 then finished third at France 98. It was terrific for a country that only had 4.5 million citizens. We'd love to recreate that feeling."