Don’t be surprised if either Roy Keane or Slaven Bilic fails to make it back to the ITV studios.
That’s because many supporters are anticipating a fight to the death between two of football’s legitimate hard men after some awkward exchanges during the coverage of Croatia’s 2-0 victory over Nigeria on Saturday night.
While you wouldn’t like to meet either man down a dark alley, Bilic unsurprisingly proved to be the more positive analyst as he explained why he felt like his beloved Croatia had it in them to make it to the knockout stages of the World Cup following their group opener.
“With the greatest respect to Iceland, if we get a point against Argentina then with a win against Iceland, we are top of the group,” Bilic said.
“Of course I am positive. I’ve played for good clubs, who were always positive.”
But Bilic’s optimism didn’t sit very well with Keane, who couldn’t bite his tongue and the Irishman provided a less hopeful expectation of the coming weeks.
Roy Keane taking Bilic down a peg or two pic.twitter.com/1Nn855BP0H
— Pat McCarry (@patmccarry) June 16, 2018
“It’s a good attitude to have,” Keane responded sarcastically.
“There are some tough games ahead for them. I know it rolls off the tongue to say: ‘Just get a draw against Argentina and beat Iceland.’
“If the game was as simple as that, it’d be great. But, no, there are a tough few weeks coming up for Croatia and I think Argentina will beat them.”
Bilic failed to see the funny side when Keane joked that he couldn’t possibly comment on how players react to doubt over whether or not they’d be selected as he was a mainstay for his club and country.
Bilic's face after this Roy Keane put-down… pic.twitter.com/baUvHKufyV
— Barry Collins (@bazzacollins) June 16, 2018
The former Manchester United midfielder then suggested that Bilic and Lee Dixon would be better served answering that question.
And it’s very safe to say that Keane didn’t enjoy how tactile Bilic was in his animated analysis throughout.
I'm convinced Roy Keane is going to kill Slavan Bilic if he keeps touching his shoulder 😂 #CRONGA #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/W3PtwrmxJf
— JP (@BobProcterr) June 16, 2018
We hope that Bilic didn’t take any of Keane’s comments or frowns to heart because, to be fair, that’s how he treats most people in his company.
Or at least that’s what we see on television. We’re sure he’s lovely in person…
Keane looks like he's about to lose his head every time Bilic talks🤣🤣 #WorldCup pic.twitter.com/z23RbiCkVr
— Aiden Horsley (@aidenhorsley_dj) June 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/danrosato_/status/1008095302916673536
Awesome day of 4 football matches on the TV, with a murder on the cards later this evening by Keane on Bilic to end it!! https://t.co/ToRwXc8rbV
— James Privett (@james_privett10) June 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/Mambo_Tango_/status/1008093712377892865
Keane v Bilic is warming up nicely
— Rookmeister (@Rookmeister) June 16, 2018
Way more entertainment watching the fairly open contempt and hostility between Roy Keane and Slavan Bilic than anything on the pitch tonight #CRONGA
— Wayne Sharpe (@majorsharpe1875) June 16, 2018
Roy Keane, is very angry about something. He looked like he was about to explode with some sort of diatribe about the Nigeria and Croatia game after Bilic had finished his enthusiastic summary.
— Jim Dale (@Mr_Tea82) June 16, 2018
Roy Keane and Slaven Bilić are going to have an actual fist fight by… I was going to say the end of this competition but I think maybe by the end of the ad break?
— Dr Charlotte Lydia Riley (@lottelydia) June 16, 2018
https://twitter.com/AlisonEnticknap/status/1008093465991839744
https://twitter.com/swiss1966/status/1008093371427115008
Roy Keane away to punch fuck out Bilic during the break 😂
— Michael Smith (@Mikeemelon) June 16, 2018
