At their training base Croatia have been putting themselves back together again, almost literally in the case of some players, after the physical and emotional strain of two 120-minute games and two penalty shootouts in a week.

Their key full-back Sime Vrsaljko is highly doubtful to play a part at the Luzhniki Stadium on Wednesday night after sustaining an injury to his left knee in extra time during Croatia’s attritional quarter-final victory against Russia. His absence would be a lift to Gareth Southgate’s team but Zlatko Dalic has insisted his Croatia team will not be running on empty.

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“We’ve played five difficult games, they’ve taken their toll,” Dalic said. “We’re tired but there can be no excuses. We’ve come to the semi-final. We’re here to play football, enjoy ourselves and give our all. We do not want to say we are fatigued. We have not been exhausted. There is still opportunity for us to exhaust ourselves.”

There had been fears the goalkeeper Danijel Subasic, who has been one of Croatia’s outstanding performers, would not recover to feature against England. The Monaco player has twice been the saviour in shootouts. First his three spot-kick saves against Denmark kept their hopes alive. Then he delivered another heroic performance in the shootout against Russia despite requiring treatment for a muscle injury in extra time. Against the odds, he has declared himself fit.

“I started warming up before kick‑off and I felt the pain in the muscle,” Subasic said. “My physiotherapist massaged my leg a bit and saw I could play. Later I felt the pain again but I didn’t want to give up. During the break the masseurs did some quick work and, like a Formula One car after a pit stop, I was as good as new. It’s been a long season but you play in a World Cup semi-final once in a lifetime and there’s no point giving up now.”

Dalic said that although his players may be weary, adrenaline would kick in for the national side’s first World Cup semi-final since 1998. Croatia’s population, at four million, is one-13th the size of England’s but Dalic said it should not come as a surprise that they have reached the last four.

“It’s true that we have not made good results at major tournaments for a decade,” Dalic said. “But we shouldn’t be surprised that Croatia is among the last four in the World Cup given the quality of the players. This generation has been underrated for a long time because of their poor results. But they’ve shown their qualities when it matters at this World Cup.”

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He singled out the team’s talisman, Luka Modric, for praise. The 32‑year‑old, along with Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitic, has inspired his country in their run to the last four. “That’s his quality that he’s been showing for many years,” Dalic said. “Sometimes, it’s a wonder when you see him in the 115th minute sprint to retrieve a ball. It shows his character, his desire, to do something.

“At club level Luka has achieved everything possible. He hasn’t done so for the national team. Since his World Cup is the last one given his age, I’m very glad that he’s one of the players among the last four national teams in the World Cup.”

Dejan Lovren, who has lived in England for the past five years, playing for Southampton and Liverpool, is perhaps the most aware of the threats his team will face. But he bristled when it was pointed out that he struggled to deal with Harry Kane during Liverpool’s 4-1 Premier League defeat by Tottenham last season.

“I don’t know what to say in response to this question,” he said. “It’s completely irrelevant, that 4-1 defeat against Tottenham. Why didn’t you ask me how I played well against him? You are just nitpicking my poor performances.

“I have all respect for Harry Kane. He’s been showing season in, season out, that he’s one of the best strikers in the Premier League. He is constant. He bangs in goals. He’s one of the greatest threats but he’s not alone. His teammates play at top-drawer clubs. It’s going to be a difficult task for all of us.”