Croatia midfielder Luka Modric has labelled Denmark's Christian Eriksen a "world-class player" ahead of Sunday's World Cup last-16 clash in Nizhny Novgorod.

Eriksen played a direct part in both of the Scandinavian outfit's group-stage goals, taking his tally to 13 goals and five assists in his last 16 outings at international level.

Modric, who plays a similar role in the Croatia midfield, admits that his side have to find a way to stop the Real Madrid playmaker if they are to advance through to the quarter-finals.

"I don't like to compare players, particularly to compare others with myself," he told reporters at Saturday's press conference. "What I can say about Eriksen is he's a fantastic player, a world-class player. He's played a fantastic season at Tottenham.

"He's the most important player for Denmark. What will decide the game will be how the teams perform as teams. No individual can do it on their own. Individuals can dictate certain incidents but the most important thing is how we perform as a team on the pitch."

Eriksen ran further than any other player in the group stage, covering 36km in total.