Zlatko Dalic has played down suggestions that Croatia's previous World Cup victory over Argentina could be relevant ahead of Tuesday's semi-final.

Having come from behind in extra time before beating Brazil on penalties, Croatia are now bidding to reach the World Cup final for the second successive time.

In Russia in 2018, Croatia impressed during the group stages, recording an emphatic 3-0 win over Argentina in their second fixture at the tournament.

All three goals came during the second half as Ante Rebic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic earned the Checkered Ones a notable win in their history.

With the two nations scheduled to lock horns once again at the Lusail Stadium, some believe that the European side hold an advantage ahead of the tie.

However, that perception has been dismissed by Dalic, claiming that the match in Nizhny Novgorod has "nothing to do" with the upcoming encounter.

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Speaking to reporters at a press conference, as quoted by Croatia Week, Dalic said: "This is a new and completely different match than in 2018, when it was in the group stages, it was not a decisive match.

"We played very well, we scored goals from every chance. We were compact, fighting and strong, we will be like that now, but that match from Russia has nothing to do with this.

"We have a big game ahead of us, especially for Argentina, but also for us. There will be no savings and calculations, I expect a nice and hopefully fair game from both sides."

Opposite number Lionel Scaloni has heaped praise on the qualities shown by Croatia throughout the tournament, revealing that he and his coaching staff have attempted to identify any weaknesses.

Whoever prevails from the fixture will face either France or Morocco in the final on Sunday.

Written by
Darren Plant