Football World Cup 2018 World Cup 2018 Ivankovic warns Croatia about 'dangerous' Russia Branko Ivankovic, the former Croatia assistant coach, knows just how dangerous the World Cup host can be. Dejan Kalinic 06 July, 2018 17:26 IST Russia celebrate - Getty Images Dejan Kalinic 06 July, 2018 17:26 IST Former Croatia assistant coach Branko Ivankovic warned the nation of the dangers of facing World Cup host ahead of their quarterfinal against Russia.Zlatko Dalic's side take on Russia in the last eight in Sochi on Saturday, looking to reach the semifinals at the showpiece tournament for the first time since 1998.Back then, Croatia's incredible run was ended by host France, which went on to win the World Cup, while Miroslav Blazevic's men claimed third. In 1998, Croatia scraped past Romania in the last 16, while it did similar against Denmark on Sunday.Ivankovic, the assistant coach two decades ago, saw similarities between those matches and he knows what host nations can produce at a World Cup.FULL COVERAGE: FIFA WORLD CUP"This [the win over Denmark] really was a similar game to that one in many aspects. It was very tense to watch and to play," he told Omnisport."Back then, we had Germany as our opponents [in the quarterfinals] who were on top of the world at the time and now we have Russia.""This should be an easier game, but we can never be certain or take it easy because Russia is a host and it is always dangerous to play against hosts."If Croatia overcome Russia, Dalic's side will face either England or Sweden in the semifinals. Subscribe to our daily newsletter Get your daily dose of Sportstar with handpicked stories delivered right to your inbox! SUBSCRIBE Please enter a valid email address. Dugout videos
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