Mateo Kovacic insists 2018 World Cup semi-final has no bearing on England opener

Mateo Kovacic celebrates winning the Champions League with Chelsea (Nick Potts/PA)

Mateo Kovacic does not believe Croatia’s World Cup semi-final win will give them a psychological advantage against an England side that the Chelsea midfielder says are dealing with the weight of expectation.

Three years ago the Blues midfielder helped break English hearts as Zlatko Dalic’s Vatreni dug deep to secure a 2-1 comeback win in extra time to progress to the final against France at the Luzhniki.