Croatia's footballers and coaching staff arrived in St. Petersburg earlier on Monday. Their base camp is located just outside Russia's second largest city.

"We have great expectations from this tournament. Croatia has raised a strong generation of players. We need to reach the knockout stage and then, with a bit of luck, we will achieve a lot. Among our rivals, I would mention Nigeria as we will play them first, we need to have a good start. Everyone knows Argentina's strength, they are one of the favorites, a tough rival for any team," Kramaric told journalists.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup will be held between June 14 and July 15 at 12 stadiums in 11 Russian cities. Croatia will face two-time champions Argentina, Iceland and Nigeria in Group D.