Niko Kovac: 'Croatia know how to stop Brazil'

Croatia manager Niko Kovac has claimed that his team knows how to stop Brazil ahead of their World Cup clash.

The two teams meet in the opening match of this summer's tournament on Thursday evening and Kovac is confident that his players can cause an upset against the host nation.

"We know how to stop Neymar and Brazil," he told reporters. "Brazil is not only Neymar - they have a great team, but Croatia also have excellent players."

Following their game against Brazil, Croatia will face Cameroon and Mexico in their remaining Group A fixtures.