World Cup 2018: Croatia will stop Harry Kane because England hotshot is no Lionel Messi, insists boss Zlatko Dalic

ZLATKO DALIC says Croatia will stop Harry Kane - because the England skipper is no Lionel Messi.

And the coach reckons his team’s secret weapon is Dejan Lovren, even though the Liverpool defender was hauled off by club boss Jurgen Klopp after just 31 minutes against Spurs at Wembley last season when Kane ran him ragged.

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Dalic said: “If we can stop Messi and Christian Eriksen from scoring against us, that means we can definitely stop Kane.

“For me their key player is Raheem Sterling. He is important, fast and dangerous.

“But Dejan is playing great and I have a lot of confidence in him.”

Sterling has received considerable criticism for his performances in the tournament after failing to take chances.

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Manchester City forward Sterling has not scored for the national team in nearly three years, yet Dalic sees him as England's biggest threat.

The 51-year-old said: "I think Raheem Sterling is an important player because he is really fast and his combination with Harry Kane is really dangerous."

Dalic watched England's 2-0 win over Sweden in the quarter-finals and was impressed.

He added: "They dealt with Sweden relatively easily so we know they are going to be a difficult opponent and we respect them."

The semi-final will take place on Wednesday in Moscow, the day after France face Belgium on the other side of the draw.