Croatia beat hosts Russia on penalties in Sochi on Saturday following a 2-2 draw in extra time to book their spot in the World Cup semi-finals, where they will face England. France will take on Belgium in the other semi-final.

“I think Croatia will play against France in the final. I have a lot of friends in the Croatian team. I hope Croatia achieve almost the impossible. They have a quality team, it would be great if such a country as Croatia becomes a champion,” Kuranyi told journalists.

He added that no one in his country was "satisfied with Germany’s performance" at the tournament, and that the pressure of being the defending champions resulted in "lack of motivation and things not working out."

Germany finished bottom of Group F during the World Cup, behind Mexico, Sweden and South Korea, and were eliminated from the tournament.

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the final set to be played at Moscow's Luzhniki Stadium.