Greece out to shatter Croatia's perfect play-off record

Having billed Greece as the most awkward opponents it could draw in the World Cup play-offs, Croatia will head into the two-leg tie confident of maintaining its flawless record in the final round of qualifying for major tournaments.

The Croatians have won all four of their play-offs to reach either World Cup or European Championship tournaments in the past and have advanced to 9 out of 11 major finals as an independent nation.

Thursday's home leg against the Greeks comes after a turbulent year in which Croatia was dislodged from the top of Group I by Iceland halfway through the qualifying campaign and sacked coach Ante Cacic last month ahead of a crucial 2-0 win at Ukraine in its final match.

Cacic's replacement Zlatko Dalic oversaw the result which enabled Croatia to finish as runner-up and earn a play-off berth, instilling strong belief that it can complete the...