Euro 2016: Croatia May be Without Luka Modric Against Spain

Spain, meanwhile, are moving serenely through the group stages.

Turkey’s poster-boy Arda Turan appeared on national television to apologise for his side’s 1-0 loss to Croatia, while the Barcelona man was in tears as he was booed off the pitch after another anonymous performance in their 3-0 loss to Spain.

Ultras have declared war on the Croatian FA (HNS) who they accuse of being corrupt, and have previously protested against the regime of president Davor Suker and vice president Zdravko Mamic by burning a swastika into the pitch before a qualifier against Italy. The question is whether the players bounce back and restore some of their confidence.

“We don’t accept any kind of violence in football and I hope all the fans can respect this game, the players and the other fans who enjoy watching the game”.

Iniesta is one of the candidates to be rested by Vicente del Bosque with an eye on the knockout stages and Rakitic would not mind if the 32-year-old were to miss out.

A draw would suffice for that but the Spaniards seem keen on making a statement.

Pedro has played just eight minutes in one substitute appearance in Spain’s opening two matches.

“The most important thing will be how we play”.

The Croatian FA’s security officer said on Saturday they had told UEFA and the police there would be a planned demonstration near the end of the Czech game and they have further information about Tuesday’s match, which they will pass to the authorities. Busquets will be out there to make that very hard for him.

“As a team, they have good link-up play and plenty of flair”.

Croatia striker Mario Mandzukic is also a doubt for the game against Spain because of a muscle injury. If the Czech Republic beat Turkey, Croatia could finish in third, depending on the goal difference between them and the Czechs.

The Monaco goalkeeper hasn’t made the headlines so far, but that’s mainly because he hasn’t had too much to do in either of the previous matches. The other players will have a chance to show they can do it.

Subasic, who is particularly good in one-on-one situations, will have to save a few of those to keep his team in the game – otherwise everything else will be in vain. He had scored Croatia’s victor in the opening match against Turkey with a remarkable long-range volley.

– If Petr Cech plays, he will equal the Czech record for most games at major tournaments: 17, now held by Karel Poborsky.