In just one and a half months' time, Croatia will be heading to Paris 2024 with the title of world champions in their hands. This is undoubtedly a strong reason to consider them as one of the medal contenders. 

The best teams will meet in the group stage at the Paris Aquatics Centre, before the knockout stages take place at the Paris La Défense Arena. Croatia have their sights set on the final, but first they have to get through the group stage. Their first four matches will be against Montenegro, Italy, Romania and Greece.

They are under no pressure, despite winning gold in Doha and silver at the European Championship in Zagreb earlier this year. Ivica Tucak, head coach of the Croatian men's team, and goalkeeper Marko Bijac shared their thoughts with World Aquatics. Their words are convincing. 

They are not afraid of anything, but they do not dismiss anything that might come their way. The last time they competed as world champions was in 2008, when they finished a disappointing sixth.

Croatia head coach Ivica Tucak said, "There is no stress or extra pressure. We are going to the Olympics like any other national team. The fact that we are world champions means nothing. It is an honour for us to start from this position, of course it is an excellent result, but I don't think about it at all."

Croatia are undoubtedly one of the favourites, but they are not the only ones. There is a group of nine teams with equal chances, according to Tucak. Tucak said, "In the last four tournaments we have been to the final three times, so I think we have the mental and psychological stability. We will do all we can to achieve the best possible outcome."

The Croatians are not feeling any extra pressure. They want to play the best tournament they can, but at their core they are always competitive. They are winners and they show it in every discipline.

Marko Bijac, the team's goalkeeper, believes it will be a spectacular edition. "There will be no easy games at the Olympiad; the quarters, semis and obviously the final will be extremely exciting and close. It's fantastic for the supporters, but we, the players, are going to have a tougher time in the water".

Bijac's professionalism leads him to study his opponents. He knows exactly who he is up against and what their habits are. These details can make all the difference in a match. Water polo goalkeepers always try to anticipate and this is a personal task for each player. 

The goalkeeper is a special player in all sports, and water polo is no exception. Bijac said, "I think every player has a certain amount of automatism, so I have a pretty good idea of who is usually going to shoot the ball where and how. I've been playing for a long time; I have some experience as a goalkeeper.

Bijac said, "I think every player has a certain amount of automatism, so I have a pretty good idea of who is usually going to shoot the ball where and how. I've been playing for a long time; I have some experience as a goalkeeper.”

Tucak outlined the Croatian team's preparation plan, which is very demanding, as reported by World Aquatics, "Preparations will start on 10 June in Brdo near Kranj, where we will stay for 2 weeks, then we will have 2-3 days off. We will meet again on 27 June in Zagreb, where the Hungarian team will join us for sparring. After that we will travel to an international tournament. Then a bit of free time and the final preparations in Šibenik, where the team from the USA will be joining us."