England travel to Belgrade for a World Cup qualifier on Tuesday night and Serbia boss Dragan Stojkovic has warned the Three Lions will not have it all their own way
Serbia boss Dragan Stojković says England will face the fight of their lives in their World Cup qualifier. Stojković insists his players will not be intimidated by England’s big names and claims they have just as much right to win as their opponents.
Stojković said: “Why wouldn’t they win? Is it forbidden? As far as I know, it’s not. They have the same goal, they’re coming to win. It’s going to be a fight, a tough match. Anything can happen in 90 minutes.
“We’ll prepare the game, we’ll see if it’s enough. I’m not afraid, I don’t care who the opponent is. We have our trump cards, we’ll give it our all.
READ MORE: England boss Thomas Tuchel handed major injury scare ahead of hostile Serbia clashREAD MORE: Serbia FA send warning to own fans ahead of crunch World Cup qualifier vs England
“The team will be the one we think can give the most. There are also five substitutions, the game lasts a long time. We will see. On the one hand, England is not Latvia or Andorra.
“They are a team among the best. I will not say the best, so as not to offend Spain and France. We will do our best to play well. Every throw-in, corner and foul is extremely important. There is no forgiveness here. It has to be explosive on the field.”
But Stojković says they will not man mark England’s captain and top scorer Harry Kane – but they will be ready for him.
Stojković said: “Harry Kane is one of the best strikers. I don’t think he will have strict marking. He will come into the zone where someone will wait for him.”
Stojković also admitted his team face an extra challenge as star striker, the former Fulham centre forward Aleksandar Mitrović, has gone to Al-Rayyan in Qatar and struggled for minutes and top competition.
He added: “We have a problem with the minutes played by our players in the clubs. It’s not just Mitrović. There are other players. Whether Mitrović will start or not, we’ll see. We have training today, then a whole day tomorrow. We’ll make that decision.”
But the Serbia boss also warned Nottingham Forest may struggle to keep hold of centre half Nikola Milenkovic for much longer.
He said: “He shows leadership, sacrifice, professionalism. You love fighters, and Nikola is a formidable fighter who does not give up.
“It will be difficult (for Forest) to keep him next season. Bigger and richer clubs will be looking for him. I am happy to have such a player. The fans in Serbia respect him and appreciate what he does for the national team.”
Meanwhile, Serbia fans have been warned they could cost their nation a World Cup place.
Branko Radujko, the general secretary of the Serbian FA, has warned supporters they have a “great responsibility” to behave themselves in their World Cup qualifier with England.
Serbia are already under a partial stadium closure for the England showdown as a punishment for racist behaviour during their clash with Andorra in June.
UEFA also investigated Serbia fans after allegations of racism during last summer’s Euros clash with England. Furthermore, in 2007 and 2012, England’s Under-21s were subjected to racism when they played Serbia.
Radujko expressed fears that if Serbia’s notorious fans – their FA have been fined a total of £600,000 in the past five years – misbehave again they will have to play Albania behind closed doors and that could cost them a qualifying place.
Radujko said: “In addition to the spectacle we expect on the pitch, let me draw attention to something just as important: behaviour of all of us in the stands. This match of truth also carries great responsibility.
“We are still under special monitoring of UEFA. Every inappropriate reaction, insult or incident could cost us dearly on our path to the USA, Mexico and Canada, including the possibility of having to play a decisive match with Albania behind closed doors.
“That is the reason I sincerely and seriously call on you: let us cheer from the heart but let it be fair. We can be loud but dignified. Let our support be a source of strength, not a risk for the national team.
“I believe we will show that Serbia has a team, a heart and the strength to fight for a place at the world’s greatest football stage. Football was born in England, but Belgrade must be the place where the game gets a new emotion on September 9.
“This is our chance to be united, to remind ourselves why we love football and how much it means when the whole nation breathes as one. This is the match for points, but also for pride.
“Let Belgrade send a message to the world on September 9: a message of Serbia strength, unity and love for football.”
England are expecting 2,500 fans to travel to the game and the English FA have set up a special hotline to report any hooliganism or abuse in the 51,000 capacity stadium.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
