The executive board of CFF has reached a unanimous decision that the home match in the coming 2018 World Cup playoffs will be staged at Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb.

Ten days ago, Dalic, the former head coach of Al-Ain, 2016 Asian Champions League runner-up, took over the demoralized Croatian team just 48 hours before the decisive match in the group stage when Croatia needed a road win against Ukraine in Kiev to reach the playoff. He made a few positional changes and managed to lift the spirit of the players that led to a 2-0 victory that put Croatia back on track for the 2018 World Cup.

Now, with a whole four weeks in hand to prepare the team for the two matches that can bring Croatia its fourth World Cup birth, Dalic will face another challenge and another kind of pressure - the pressure of expectations. He will have to prove that he is good enough to lead the team that has a unique blend of experienced, prominent players and the young ones with great potential.

One week ago in Kiev, Dalic didn't have that burned on his shoulders but he has proved that his set of managerial skills was very good.

However, if he wins a playoff round and brings Croatia once again to the biggest stage in the sport, Dalic will be the strongest candidate for the job that, just two weeks ago, he wouldn't dare to dream of.

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