We'll Beat Nigeria, Says Croatia's Player

One of the players of Croatia junior national team, midfielder Zvonko Pamic is boasting that his team will beat Nigeria’s Flying Eagles when both sides clash in the second Group D tie in the ongoing FIFA U-20 world Cup in Colombia.

Pamic said ahead of the crucial tie that “we were unlucky against Saudi Arabia. We had a number of chances to score, and now we have to beat Nigeria in a much harder game. They’re an excellent side, as we all know, but we can win if we improve our performance.”

The match which will be played 2a.m Thursday Nigerian time should make for fascinating viewing. The African side are on a high after their emphatic 5-0 demolition of Guatemala, while Croatia will be looking to redress the balance following their unexpected 2-0 defeat to underdogs Saudi Arabia.

Despite their impressive opening performance, Nigeria know that Croatia will prove a tougher nut to crack, and coach John Obuh will be hoping star forward Ahmed Musa is on song.

Obuh, Nigeria coach said: “We’ll be very wary going into the game against Croatia. A win will be a big boost to our chances of going through, but we want to avoid a loss at all costs.”

Croatia may have gone down against Saudi Arabia but coach Ivan Grnja remains optimistic about his side’s chances: “We’ve got two games still to play and we just need to perform better than we did in the first match.” To do that, the 62 year-old will have to address the issue of a misfiring attack that got off 15 shots against Saudi Arabia without finding the back of the net.