THE Croatians face a daunting task against a nation which has won its opening match at the previous eight editions of the World Cup.

After the construction delays and street protests marred the build-up, the World Cup finally kicks off on Thursday when Croatia take on tournament favourites Brazil in the Group ‘A’ opener here at the Arena Corinthians.

Brazil are the favourites to win the group which also has Mexico and Cameroon but Croatia arrive at the World Cup with belief they can upset the hosts in the high-profile opener.

“It’s the kind of game you dream about,” Croatian striker Nikica Jelavic said at a promotional event on Tuesday. “Brazil are my favourites for the tournament but we have quality players too. We can qualify, we have nothing to lose.”

Quality players they certainly have.

Bolstered by the presence of playmaker Luka Modric from last season’s Champions League winners Real Madrid and Sevilla’s Europa League winning schemer Ivan Rakitic in midfield, Croatia also have the towering presence of Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic upfront.

Mandzukic, however, will be missing from the opener after having picked a red card in their final World Cup qualifier.

And Modric stressed the need for teamwork instead of relying on individual talent.

“As individuals, we have made a huge step forward and we will see in this tournament how we have progressed as a team,” Modric said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“We had a lot of problems in qualifying. But I think that in this World Cup we could go far and our first goal is to get to the second round.”

Apart from Mandzukic, Croatia coach Nico Kovac will also be missing former Bayern winger Daniel Pranjic who picked up an ankle injury in their final warm-up game against Australia at the weekend.

Brazil, seeking a sixth World Cup crown and a first on home soil, have no concerns about suspensions or injuries although Neymar gave them a scare when he fell awkwardly during a training session on Tuesday.

Barcelona star Neymar it is who will carry the enormous weight of expectation of the host nation which has suffered numerous embarrassments ahead of the World Cup which was awarded to it seven years ago.

The biggest one is the unfinished Arena Corinthians where three workers have already died during its construction.

A victory in the opening game, though, would make the Brazilians forget about the construction delays or the cost overruns for the World Cup which have led to massive protests over the continent-sized country.

“We players in Brazil know we have the conditions and an obligation to win this world title in Brazil, simply because this country breathes football,” striker Fred, who will partner Neymar upfront, said earlier this week.

Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari, who led the Selecao to their last World Cup triumph in 2002, left out World Cup veterans Ronaldinho and Kaka, preferring a younger squad which has only five players from the squad which featured at the last edition including goalkeeper Julio Cesar, defenders Thiago Silva, Maicon and Dani Alves and midfielder Ramires.

But with the talents of Neymar and exciting Chelsea duo of Willian and Oscar, Brazil believe in their chances — especially with the backing of the home fans.

“We know that we will have the fans behind us, and together I think we have a great chance of reaching our final goal, which is to win the World Cup,” Brazil’s holding midfielder Luiz Gustavo said.

However, they hope that the presence of Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura for the opener doesn’t harm their chances.

Nishimura officiated their quarter-final match at the last World Cup in South Africa where he sent off Felipe Melo in a match Brazil eventually lost 2-1.

“All sorts of things can happen in 90 minutes. Sometimes referees can make mistakes so it is up to us to do our best to overcome anything that goes against us,” Ramires said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“We are all eager to get started, we are just counting the days, We know that the fans have confidence in our team and they are behind us. We have to do everything possible to try to win this World Cup. We know everybody is expecting us to do it.”

Probable teams:

BRAZIL: Julio Cesar, Marcelo, Thiago Silva, David Luiz, Dani Alves, Paulinho, Luiz Gustavo, Oscar, Neymar, Fred, Hulk.

CROATIA: Stipe Pletikosa, Darijo Srna, Vedran Corluka, Dejan Lovren, Sime Vrsaljko; Ivica Olic, Ivan Rakitic, Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Ivan Perisic, Nikica Jelavic.

Referee: Yuichi Nishimura (Japan).

Published in Dawn, June 12th, 2014