Croatia isn't a massive country - its population is little over 4 million - but for Iceland it is a giant in both population and footballing terms. Just 350,000 people live in the weather-beaten outpost, but through significant investment in its footballing programme and a collective hard-working mentality, Iceland is punching above its weight in the international game.
Related - Floor is lava: How did a weather-beaten outpost like Iceland get so good?
However, this is a Croatian side that shamed Argentina with three unanswered goals a day prior to Iceland falling 2-0 to Nigeria on Friday courtesy of an Ahmed Musa brace. Iceland's players can't recreate their heroics from Euro 2016 on Tuesday, can they?
What Iceland needs to stifle
It's quite obvious: Luka Modric.
When playing in a throwback No. 10 role from his Tottenham Hotspur days - he has sat deeper for years at Real Madrid, and was doing the same for Croatia until recently - his time in possession is restricted, but when he has space like he did against Argentina he is capable of unleashing beautiful efforts on goal and threading incisive passes for the attackers.
Iceland simply needs to restrict his time on the ball. Emil Hallfredsson should be drafted back into the starting lineup alongside Aron Gunnarsson in a 4-2-3-1 setup (mirroring what Croatia is likely to deploy), protecting the defence and crowding the areas where Modric will try to exploit. And just as we have seen from various other teams in the tournament, Iceland shouldn't shy away from its challenges on Modric and his teammates; if this match turns into a wrestle, the advantage will lie with the Nordic nation.
What Iceland needs to exploit
There is no out-and-out defensive midfielder in Croatia's squad and Ivan Perisic won't always be willing to track back, conveniently opening up a patch where Gylfi Sigurdsson and, if fit, Johann Berg Gudmundsson operate.
With Modric often thrust higher up the lineup under manager Zlatko Dalic, the base of the midfield has regularly been manned by Ivan Rakitic and Marcelo Brozovic. The pair aren't the most physically imposing - juxtaposing the Icelandic bruisers - and are more adept at a shuttling game rather than mucking in with tackles and interceptions. When either or both midfielders commit to an attack, Sigurdsson should be on his toes, ready to drift between the lines and create overloads on the right with Gudmundsson.
Burnley's Gudmundsson, a shining light from teams under the Premier League's top six and a sublime crosser, shouldn't be too troubled by Perisic snapping at his heels, and will be opposite Ivan Strinic, a wholly average 30-year-old who was forced to share time with Nicola Murru at Sampdoria last season. The left-back should present a winnable duel for Gudmundsson in Rostov-on-Don.
