Arda Turan vs Luka Modric
Two of the best midfielders in the game will go head to head in order to attain supremacy at the center of the pitch. While Arda has not had a great season for Barcelona, Modric was instrumental in Real winning their second Champions League title in three years.
It will be a tough one to call but while Arda is a fantastic player, Modric is at the top of his game right now and will be difficult to stop. On the other hand, if Modric is stopped then Croatia might well be stopped as well.
Gokhan Gonul vs Mario Mandzukic
Gonul is an accomplished defender playing for Fenerbache and he will be tasked with handling the Croatian goal machine, Mario Mandzukic. Although Mario did not have his greatest of seasons at Juventus, he still played a crucial role by chipping in with important goals.
This battle should be Mandzukic’s to lose.
Burak Yilmaz vs Vedran Corluka
Burak Yilmaz was a goal scoring machine when he played for Galatasary a few years ago. While he may not be as potent as he was then, Yilmaz will still provide a great threat to the Croatian defense. To prevent this from happening, Corluka will be at hand to provide stability in the defensive back line.
Yilmaz may win a few battles but Corluka will win the war.
Caner Erkin vs Ivan Perisic
In what will be the battle of the left wing, Erkin will be on hand to prevent the trickery of Perisic to get the better of the Turkish defense. Perisic has had a good couple of seasons with Inter and will be looking to carry that form into the Euros.
Perisic should win this one.
Nuri Sahin vs Ivan Rakitic
Sahin and Rakitic are two of the most gifted and elegant mid fielders in world football. Sahin has played an important part in the resurgence of Dortmund last season while Rakitic was an ever presence in the Barcelona team which eventually won the La Liga.
Tough to call.
