Croatian soccer officials and media seem unable to avoid words like `war', `battle' and `fighting' when talking about Saturday's historic clash with Yugoslavia.
The Croatian Soccer Association have received 200,000 requests for tickets, five times the capacity of the Maksimir stadium. The event's sporting importance is obvious - but it is the political rivalry and memories of the 1991-95 war that invoke wartime rhetorics and which are dominating the build-up to the game.
The outcome of the match will decide which of the two teams keeps alive their hopes of playing in the European Championship next year.
Yugoslavia top Group Eight with 16 points, Ireland have 15 and Croatia 14. They all have one match left to play with the group winners qualifying for the finals and the second placed team going into the play-offs.
But the rivalry extends far beyond 22 men and a ball.
"This is not only a game of the decade, but of the century," Croatia coach Miroslav Blazevic declared this week, knowing that his team has to win to retain any chance of qualifying. On the other hand, a draw will suffice Yugoslavia who can finish second if Ireland beats Macedonia in Skopje.
"Saturday's game is a battle, but a deciding battle that wins the whole war," Blazevic said about the match he dubbed the most important of his career.
Blazevic engaged in a psychological war of words with his Yugoslav counterpart, commenting on media reports that Yugoslavs are bringing along their own cook in fear that some overly zealous Croatian chef might put something in their food.
"That is a difference between them and us: We did not bring a cook with us for the first game in Belgrade. They are scared, we are not," Blazevic said.
The first ever match between the two sides - two months ago in Belgrade - ended in a goaless draw, with the Croats hitting the woodwork twice and Yugoslavs once.
Played in the wake of the 11-week NATO bombing campaign, the atmosphere was charged with anticipation of anti-government demonstrations scheduled for the next day.
