Croatia will be under more pressure than the hosts in next week’s Davis Cup World Group playoff against South Africa, according to Goran Prpic, the visiting team‘s non-playing captain.

In the absence of two of their country’s best players, Prpic said his squad was feeling the weight of expectation ahead of the crucial tie in Potchefstroom, with their supporters back home demanding nothing less than victory.

   “Croatians are funny people. We won the World Group in 2005, so they expect us to win every year,” Prpic said on Wednesday.

   “There is a lot of pressure on us. We have to win this tie and that’s it.”   

Ivan Ljubicic, who has been unavailable for international duty since July last year, and Ivo Karlovic, who could not turn out for personal reasons, were not included in Croatia’s team named on Tuesday.

   Prpic said his side had been consistently hampered by the unavailability of some of their best players in recent years.

   “This has happened to us for the last few years,” he said.

   “Ljubicic does not play in the national team anymore, and Karlovic and his wife are expecting a baby, so this is the best team we can put together.”   

Nonetheless, Croatia’s top-ranked player, Marin Cilic, ranked 28th in the world and the nation’s number three, Ivan Dodig, rated 33rd by the ATP, were both included, along with Antonio Veic and Nikola Mektic.

   Prpic said Veic and Mektic, who are both ranked well outside the  top 100 in the world, were unlikely to take the court, with the leading duo prepared to play for three days.

   “Cilic and Dodig have been playing good tennis this year, and if  we play well, hopefully it will be good enough to stay in the World  Group,” he said.

   South Africa’s number one Kevin Anderson is the only player in the host team ranked among the top 100 by the ATP, and Prpic expected the world number 34 to provide them with a stiff challenge.

   “I have watched Anderson and he is a great player,” Prpic said.

   “From what I have seen, he has no weaknesses. He has a great serve and great run strokes, so I think the small points will make the difference in this tie.”   

With Anderson, the SA Open champion, in superb form, having reached the third round of the US Open last week, Prpic admitted they would focus on defeating the host nation’s number two selection for the tie, likely to be either Rik de Voest or Izak van  der Merwe.

   “The other guys are ranked outside the top 100 in the world,” he  said.

   “So we will be looking to beat the second ranked player and win the doubles match.”   

However, the doubles encounter would provide a challenge of its own.

   “Our guys have not played a lot of doubles, so in that area I think the South Africans have a slight advantage,” Prpic said, adding that the singles clash between Cilic and Anderson could well  be the deciding encounter.

   Prpic said his team, none of whom had played in South Africa before, would arrive this weekend, six days ahead of the tie, to assess conditions at the high altitude venue in Potchefstroom.

   “We will arrive on Saturday morning to acclimatise. With the altitude, it will be hard for us to breathe, but this is an important tie for us and we are going to play our best tennis.”