Coach Gernot Rohr has admitted that Nigeria’s opponents, Croatia, are a better team ahead of their meeting in the opening game of group D of Russia 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Super Eagles arrived Russia on the back of consecutive losses to England and the Czech Republic which has raised doubts among supporters on the team’s chances at the tournament.
The Super Eagles and Croatia and have been tipped to battle for the runners-up spot in group D and Rohr was full of praise for Zlatko Dalies side.
Speaking to the media at a press conference at Essentuki, the base of the Super Eagles, Rohr admitted that his team are young and inexperienced compared to their Croatian counterparts.
He said, “We admire this team, but we do not plan to watch them when we play against them, we hope to fight. They are all wonderful players…playing in biggest teams in Europe…On paper with their names, #CRO are much better than us.”
Rohr is however optimistic that his team can upset the Croatians in the opening game despite their star studded line up.
He said, “But sometimes on the pitch, it could be different. We don’t have their big stars, but we try to play collectively with our young team.”
The Super Eagles take on Croatia in their opening game of the tournament on Saturday, June 16
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