Croatia's coach and captain hailed their "fantastic" World Cup so far and said they were ready to beat Denmark on Sunday.
Free-flowing Croatia romped through the group stage with three wins out of three, setting up the round-of-16 clash at the Nizhny Novgorod Stadium, where they beat Argentina 3-0.
"We've played fantastically in the group stage. We must be proud of that. But for this new game, we must forget all that went before," captain Luka Modric, a 12-year-old when Croatia reached the semifinals in France in 1998, said.
"It is a stern test for us, but it is high time that this generation hurdles this obstacle which we haven't hurdled since 1998. I expect us to be capable of doing that ... we are full of self-confidence."
Although Croatia are favourites to win on Sunday, coach Zlatko Dalic said Denmark's team play and strong defence should not be underestimated.
"We have the highest possible respect for the Danish team. The fact they have gone 18 games unbeaten speaks volumes," he said.
"What awaits us is a very difficult match ... the group stage will mean nothing if we do not verify that tomorrow."
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Modric, who has already scored two goals, will be expected once again to pull the strings for Croatia, and asked whether he could be the player of the tournament, Dalic said: "It's not going to go to [Lionel] Messi ... I would be the happiest man in the world if it were Luka because it would have meant Croatia did something significant.
"Irrespective of what comes next, these are the best days of my career, whatever the result tomorrow."
Fans will be waiting to see who comes out on top between Modric, and Christian Eriksen, Denmark's outstanding player.
"I don't like to compare players, particularly to myself," Modric said. "Eriksen is a world-class player.
"He has had a fantastic season at Tottenham, and I am sure he is their [Denmark's] best player. But I think what will decide the game tomorrow will be how teams perform. No individual can do it all on their own."