Eric Dier has praised Croatia duo Ivan Rakitic and Luka Modric, warning that England must contain them to book a first World Cup final spot in 52 years.

The Croatian midfielders have been in imperious form throughout the tournament and will pose a significant threat to the Three Lions during their semi-final clash on Wednesday.

Both scored in Croatia’s devastating 3-0 group-stage win over Argentina, while Modric also netted a penalty in the 2-0 victory against Nigeria.

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Not even a dramatic late spot-kick failure in the last 16 against Denmark could derail Modric’s superb tournament, with the Real Madrid man a strong contender for the Golden Ball at Russia 2018.

Dier could be tasked with stopping the pair should Jordan Henderson fail to recover from a hamstring injury, and he knows he will have to be at his very best if called upon.

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Speaking at a news conference, Dier said: ‘[They are] two fantastic players, world-class players in their position.

‘They have been playing at an extremely high level for their clubs.

‘Rakitic, I haven’t played against but I played against Modric twice this year in the Champions League and everyone knows what he did in the Premier League.

‘He is a fantastic player who can create magical moments and I think he has been one of the outstanding performers so far in this World Cup.

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‘They are two great players, everyone knows that. But hopefully we can do our jobs on Wednesday as a team and individuals and contain them.’