Serbia football national team arrived in Paris on Monday, the site
of their match against hosts France on Wednesday, 9pm local time, in a
second-day 2010 World Cup qualifier. Serbia kicked off the campaign
with a nervy win over minnows Faroe Islands on Saturday, and now play
runners-up of 2006, who showed they are still searching for form after
the 3-1 defeat at Austria on day one.
- “You can’t draw any conclusions after the game against the Faroe
Islands. It was a tough game because they confined their play to
defending with all their man power. I think it’s a positive thing we
have a win under our belt after the first day and a good prelude to the
big game in France. The game on Wednesday will definitely be a wholly
different affair, a truly competitive game, with plenty of room for us
to show what we’ve got,” says Serbia left-back Ivica Dragutinovic.
Les Bleus got off to a worst possible start with a defeat in Austria.
- “They obviously aren’t the kind of awe-inspiring team they used to
be. I know from some personal contacts of mine that they have a lot of
unresolved issues in the dressing room. Manager Domenech does not enjoy
the trust of either the fans or the media in France. It’s all affecting
the team’s performances, but that’s not our problem.”
Are you personally preparing for a clash with Benzema or do you see someone else as their biggest threat upfront?
- “Individual names don’t matter as much as our tactical preparation
for the match. I think we are tactically much more solid than during
some previous games and the credit for that goes to the new coach
Radomir Antic, who has immense experience and knows what he wants at
all times.”
D
o you expect to play in the central defence or along the left touchline?
- “Honestly, I’m not thinking about it at the moment. The boss will
assign duties for the game when the time comes. We’ll be working on the
tactics and I’m sure we’ll be ready for the game at Saint-Denis.”
What would be a positive result for Serbia in Paris?
- “We won’t go out there to surrender without a fight, that’s for sure.
I think a draw would be a favourable result for us,” says Dragutinovic.
Zdravko Kuzmanovic was sidelined for the Faroe Islands game, but some see him as a starter against France on Wednesday.
- “A positive atmosphere in the team is extremely important, and we are
on the way of creating it. We are in for a really tough game, but
Austria proved over the weekend that France are beatable. I expect a
positive result, but it’s a relative thing whether a draw would be a
positive result for us. When the qualifying campaign draws to a close,
a point won against France may turn out to be a valuable one, or
completely irrelevant. In theory every single point counts, but we will
play to win.”
[Blic]
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