Croatia beat Denmark 3-2 on penalties in the teams' Round of 16 match and will face hosts Russia in their quarter-final in Sochi on Sunday (AEST), while Denmark were eliminated from the tournament.

"The quarter-final [match] will be very hard since we will play against the hosts," Dalic said post-match.

"Russia is a difficult and great opponent. We will try to stay careful and even stronger than before on the pitch."

The 2018 FIFA World Cup kicked off on June 14 and will continue until July 15, with the games being played in 11 cities across the country.