Mateo Kovacic has revealed that Chelsea teammates teased him and Hakim Ziyech that they would win the race back to Stamford Bridge - by being the first Blues players knocked out of the World Cup.
On Saturday, the Chelsea pair will face off in the third-place play-off between Croatia and Morocco, ending a run which no other clubmates have managed to match.
England trio Mason Mount, Raheem Sterling and Conor Gallagher, along with Brazil’s Thiago Silva, were eliminated at the quarter-final stage.
Germany’s Kai Havertz, Spain’s Cesar Azpilicueta, Switzerland’s Denis Zakaria, the USA’s Christian Pulisic, plus Senegal duo Kalidou Koulibaly and Edouard Mendy were all eliminated even earlier.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s match at the Khalifa International Stadium, Kovacic gave an insight into the Chelsea dressing room before the tournament.
“I am very glad Morocco made it this far, they are a great team,” Kovacic said. “I have been in touch with Ziyech before and during this World Cup.
“All of the others joked that Ziyech and me would come home first... and here we are almost at the end of the World Cup. Both of us are very proud of what our national teams have achieved.”
He added: “Hakim Ziyech is a really great player along with the many others who have stood out at this World Cup.”
Croatia manager Zlatko Dalic sat alongside Kovacic during Friday’s press conference and challenged the midfielder to help fill the gap that will be left by Luka Modric when he retires from the national team.
While both player and coach insisted the legendary 37-year-old midfielder has not yet decided his future, Kovacic praised the Real Madrid star for his influence on his career.
“In 2018 I had a different role and I was honoured to look at [Ivan] Rakitic, Luka Modric and [Mario] Mandzukic,” Kovacic added. “I can see their perspective and how they prepare to fight in the World Cup.
“Four years ago, I thought about what it would be like to play like them and defend my colours at a World Cup. For this World Cup, I was prepared. It was quite an honour learning from them and they taught me how to fight and defend the colours of my country.”
FIFA have appointed Qatari referee Abdulrahman Al-Jassim to oversee the third place play-off despite his lesser experience than many of his European or South American counterparts.
With both Morocco and Croatia to play close to their strongest line-up on Saturday, Dalic was frustrated to see Al-Jassim given the match.
He explained: “Well, to be honest, I think FIFA has now taken on a huge risk on itself. I am not underestimating anyone, I hope that we will not be talking about the referee after the match.”
Josip Juranovic is expected to miss the play-off with a calf injury. There are also doubts about whether Josko Gvardiol and Marcelo Brozovic will play.
