Niko Kranjcar out to thwart Gareth Bale

Croatia winger Niko Kranjcar has warned Wales that his side are out to stop Gareth Bale when the two meet on Tuesday.

The pair were teammates at Tottenham Hotspur before the Croat left for Dynamo Kiev after three years at White Hart Lane, and will meet again in the next spell of World Cup qualifiers.

While he no longer plays alongside the Welsh winger, Kranjcar is well aware of Bale's blistering current form.

"We don't talk on the telephone or anything like that but I do follow him and his games," Kranjcar told Novi list. "At this moment Gareth is the only one who can be compared with the two best players in the world - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

"So we will have to be very careful, we must stop him at any price. He can lead Wales to glory by himself.

"If we will play like we did in Osijek then not even Bale will be able to help Wales. But yes, he is really, really dangerous player."

Croatia beat Wales 2-0 in Osijek back in October last year.