Battle of set plays

Croats have been the dark horses ever since their famous place three run in the 1998 World Cup and it is no different in Euro-2016. But will they better the World Cup performance; it will be down to how they start their opening fixture against Turkey. Coach Ante Cacic has turned the fortunes of the Croats after taking over the reins from Nico Kovac. They have a dream run up to the tournament, remaining unbeaten since September 2015; their 10-0 win over San Marino in a recent friendly is a testament to their fire power. However, it will not be a walkover or an easy game against Turkey. The Croats will play a 4-2-3-1 formation with the tall Mario Mandzukic up front. Perisic and Brozovac will support him from flanks and the Turks will have their task cut out as one hugs the line and the other cuts in. Cacic’s success in the qualifiers is down to the way he paired midfield generals Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic. With Milan Badelj protecting the back four, Modric and Rakitic will have freedom to attack and lay down passes. While the diminutive Modric looks to control the tempo, Rakitic aerial passes coupled with Mandzukic heading ability means, the Turks will have to be on their toes. Defence is the Achilles heel for the Croats, the central defence pairing of Vedran Corluka and Domgoj Vida are more than susceptible to leak. While Sime Vrsalkjo on left will look to complement Perisic on the wing, questions are the 35-year-old Croat captain Darijo Srna. He is well past his prime and will have problems against the pacey Turkish wingers. Turkey on the other hand will look to capitalise on the defensive woes of the Croats. Arda Turan will love to test himself against aging Srna, his pace and trickery will pose way too many questions. But, the star of the team is their captain Selcuk Inan. He along with Calhanoglu will be controlling the mid field battle with the likes of Oghuzan Ozyakup and Burak Yilmaz to latch on the passes. While the Turkish defence is pretty sturdy, coach Faith Terim has to come out with a solution to deal with Mandzukic’s aerial threat. Terim’s ploy of playing midfielder Mehmet Topal in the defence has worked for them in the qualifiers but will he be able to contain the tall Croat, is to be seen. However, with dead ball specialist Calhanoglu in his side, Terim would want his team to make most of set plays and weak Croat defence will make it all the more tantalising. Turkey are no pushovers, however they do not have an exciting bench as Croats. Cacic has the likes of Kovacic, Coric and Rog on bench and are more than capable replacements for the team on the field. Having said that I have a strong feeling that Turkey might pull a surprise.