Croatia vs Panama

Croatia face Panama in a match that, on paper, represents the clearest quality differential in Group L. But paper has a habit of lying at World Cups, and Panama's 2018 experience — however bruising — at least gave them a reference point for what tournament football demands. The two nations have never met, and Dalajić will be careful not to treat this as a formality; Croatia's history of slow starts in major tournaments is well documented. Modrić, if selected, will run the match from deep, pulling Panama's midfield out of shape with passing angles that exist only in his imagination.

The Panamanian approach will be necessarily reactive: two banks of four protecting the penalty area, Godoy snapping at Croatian heels, and hope that a set piece or a moment of transition can produce something. Croatia's vulnerability lies in their own patience — or lack thereof. If Panama survive the first half without conceding, frustration may lead to riskier passes and poorer decisions from a Croatian side that, for all its quality, has sometimes struggled to break down low blocks over ninety minutes.

The introduction of Ante Budimir from the bench, with his physical presence in the box, often solves that problem. Croatia should win comfortably. Should.