World Cup: Don’t fight Belgium striker, Lukaku – Kovacic tells Croatia teammates

Croatia midfielder, Mateo Kovacic, has urged his teammates not to fight Belgium striker Romelu Lukaku when both teams clash in today’s FIFA World Cup F final fixture.

Kovacic and Lukaku are teammates at Premier League giants, Chelsea.

Lukaku is currently on loan at Inter Milan from Chelsea.

The former Manchester United star should return from injury to face Kovacic’s side in their Group F decider on Thursday evening.

“I will leave that to the coach,” Kovacic told reporters at his pre-match press conference on Wednesday when asked what advice he would give his Belgium teammates about Lukaku.

“But I will say… just don’t fight him.”

The kick-off time for the Belgium vs Croatia match is 4 pm.

Croatia need just a point at Ahmad bin Ali Stadium to progress to the Round of 16, while Belgium can only guarantee a knockout tie with a win.