Croatia - Group A
Over the past decade, Croatia has grown into a real force. It still doesn’t have the depth to compete against the very best, but will at least put up a good fight.
Players to watch: Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic is the gangly center forward who will be on the end of all those slippery passes. Real Madrid’s Luka Modric is the tiny puppet master in midfield.
Prediction: May beat Mexico out of the group, but unless the team is given an easy draw, it will probably crash out in the round of 16.
