One of the final teams to name a World Cup squad was Serbia, who revealed a preliminary 26-man squad today. While Coach Mladen Krstajic undoubtedly holds many talented players at his disposal, this side remain somewhat of an unknown entity as they enter into their first competitive tournament in eight years.
Newly appointed Captain Aleksandar Kolarov looks certain to start as left-back when Serbia kick off versus Costa Rica on June 17th. The AS Roma defender has been the best in his position in Serie A this term, playing a vital role for boss Eusebio Di Francesco. The former Manchester City man has started 46 matches as his side secured a third-place finish in the league and reached the Champions League semi-final, scoring three goals and providing 11 assists along the way.
Vladimir Stojkovic has held the number one shirt for the last 12 years, however, boss Krstajic has already shown he is not afraid to make changes in the team. The stopper faces competition from Eibar’s Marko Dmitrovic, who has certainly proven that he is ready to step into the breach this summer.
Former Chelsea centre-back Branislav Ivanovic was stripped of the national team captaincy back in March, raising doubts over whether the 34-year-old will be a starter once the tournament commences, and Napoli defender Nikola Maksimovic has missed out on a place in the squad altogether despite having been on loan at Spartak Moscow this term. Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic may retain his place once the squad is trimmed to 23 if Matija Nastasic loses the battle to be fit in time.
In the midfield, Nemanja Matic of Manchester United and Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic will be familiar to fans in the Premier League, the duo set to play a starring role in the centre of the park this summer. In front of them will be Sergej Milinkovic-Savic in his preferred advanced role, the €100 million-rated Lazio player also the subject of much interest in the transfer market.
If Serbia are to advance beyond the group stages, they will be reliant on the 23-year-old star to be the creative outlet that drives the side forward, just as he has done in club football this term. That he has scored 14 goals and six assists in all competitions does little to illustrate exactly how influential this player has been in the Italian top-flight this term, his skill certainly something to look out for once the World Cup begins.
In front of him, Serbia will be looking to Aleksandar Mitrovic to show similar form to that in which he managed to fire in 12 times in 17 appearances whilst on loan at Championship side Fulham this season. Internal politics remain something of a problem in the Serbian national side, and their success surely depends on whether Coach Krstajic can get his side working together as a unit.
Goalkeepers: Stojkovic, Rajkovic, Jovanovic, Dmitrovic
Defenders: Kolarov, Rukavina, Rodic, Ivanovic, Spajic, Veljkovic, Dusko Tosic, Nastasic, Milenkovic
Midfielders: Matic, Milivojevic, Grujic, Nemanja Maksimovic, Tadic, Zivkovic, Gacinovic, Kostic, Radonjic, Milinkovic Savic, Ljajic
Strikers: Mitrovic, Prijovic, Jovic
