Croatia captain Darijo Srna says the "painful" penalty loss to Turkey at Euro 2008 has shown his country how big a test they will face in their Euro 2016 opener at the Parc des Princes on Sunday.

It's twenty years since Croatia and Turkey last played each other in their European Championship debuts. On Sunday both teams will meet at the Parc des Prince, adding another chapter to their shared history.

At Euro 96 it was the Croats who sealed a 1-0 win at the tournament. But at Euro 2008, it was Turkey who came out on top after a penalty shootout to reach the semi-finals, breaking Croatian hearts as a result.

SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Darijo Srna, Croatia captain:
(On his memories of playing in the Euro 2008 loss to Turkey)
"I don't want to think and talk about a revenge match, but it's still painful for all our players and supporters. It was a difficult match and was a really painful defeat. Turkey showed us that you have to play until the very last second, so that shows us their mentality is really strong. They are big fighters and we have to take care of that."

Croatia captain: Daijo Srna believes this current squad is among the best in the nation's history. A veteran of two World Cups, the 34-year-old Srna, believes with the likes of Real Madrid midfielder Luka Modric and Barcelona midfielder Ivan Rakitic, they can go far at France 2016.

SOUNDBITE (Croatian) Darijo Srna, Croatia captain:
"I think we have one of the best teams in the history of Croatian football, but that can mean nothing if we are not psychologically strong and if we are not focused on the match. If we are focused we can play really well and beat anyone, but if not we can lose again against any opposition and tomorrow we have to be smart and just be focused on the match."

Although they've never advanced beyond the quarter-finals, they did reach the semi-finals in France at their first World Cup in 1998. Matching that record would represent an historic achievement in Croatian football .