The Chelsea midfielder has been a key part of the Croatia side which has reached the last eight of the World Cup, starting all four of their matches in Qatar so far.

Having beaten Japan on penalties in the previous round, they now face Brazil in the quarter-finals at 3pm (UK time) this afternoon, preparing to take on the side which were already many people’s favourites to lift the trophy before their eye-catching 4-1 win over South Korea in the last round.

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While the 28-year-old acknowledges that Brazil are deservedly considered favourites at this World Cup, and by many for this quarter-final, he insists there will be no fear from him and his Croatia team-mates and he is no stranger to facing top-quality opposition thanks to his time at Stamford Bridge.

‘Brazil are always among the favourites to win the World Cup, but what we care about is ourselves, regardless of our rivals,' Kovacic said

‘We have to play our own game, keep possession, not make mistakes and try to score an early goal. That would help us, that is where we are dangerous. Brazil are dangerous, but that is the direction we want to take.

‘In the Premier League, I’m used to tough games like the one that’s coming up. We have to impose our game technically and physically. We are ready. We have to show our true face.’

The midfielder was speaking in Qatar while displaying some nasty-looking marks on his face, prompting fears he may be suffering from an injury, but explained the cuts are from a minor incident during their rigorous training regime and nothing to worry about for today’s quarter-final or moving forward.

‘It’s nothing, just a little accident in training,’ he confirmed. ‘We are putting in a great effort. It’s December and we’re in good shape. We showed that we are in great physical shape. We worked a lot during these World Cup games.

‘The Japanese team were very disciplined and it was difficult to break them down. But we showed a lot of physical fitness and I believe we can play even better.’

Kovacic also discussed the performances of himself and the wider Croatia team at the World Cup as they seek to go one better than their appearance in the final in 2018 by leaving Qatar victorious this time around.

In both cases, he believes the form is good, but includes room for further improvement, even if the quality of opposition at the World Cup means it is never easy to perform at your best.

‘Of course it would be great to grab the ball, race past a couple of players then score, but it’s not as simple as that. Other people also play well and prevent you from doing that. I am satisfied with my performance, although I think we can do better.

‘I think I can improve a lot in finding spaces and creating goal-scoring opportunities. Each match has its own needs and you have to show your quality in each one.

‘I think the results show that we are a very good team. We have a lot of talent, as in previous years. In recent years we have shown power, our unity and it is an honour to fight for Croatia. We are showing that we are a good side and we have to continue like this.’