Montenegro braced for "game of the decade"
Reuters - Monday 03 October 2011, 17:17
PODGORICA - Montenegro are looking forward
to their "game of the decade" when they take on England in a
crunch Euro 2012 Group G qualifier on Friday, defender Milan
Jovanovic said.
The Montenegrins, who first played as an independent nation
in the 2010 World Cup qualifiers, will seal a play-off berth if
they beat England and if Switzerland, who are also eyeing a
runners-up finish, fail to beat Wales.
England top the group with 17 points from seven games ahead
of their final game with Montenegro, who have 11 from six,
meaning that Fabio Capello's men need a draw in Podgorica to
clinch a place in next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine.
Third-placed Switzerland, who are away to Wales on Friday
and at home to Montenegro on October 11, have eight points from six
games and will get a play-off berth if they win both their
remaining matches.
"Although it may not be the decisive match in the
qualifiers, the clash with England is the game of the decade for
us because we don't play teams at that level very often,"
Jovanovic said on Monday after coach Branko Brnovic named his
27-man squad.
"We are all confident that we can get a result which would
leave us in contention for a play-off berth.
"We know it's likely it will go down to the wire, meaning
our last game away to the Swiss, so we are taking it one game at
a time aware that we have to produce our best football in both
encounters," said the Spartak Nalchik left back.
Montenegro made a bright start, winning their opening three
games and then earning a 0-0 draw against England at Wembley
before a home draw with Bulgaria and a 2-1 defeat in Wales
forced coach Zlatko Kranjcar to step down last month.
His replacement Brnovic, a former Yugoslavia midfielder,
will be buoyed up by having his team back to full strength after
Fiorentina striker Stevan Jovetic quickly hit top form after
recovering from a long-term injury.
Juventus striker Mirko Vucinic should partner Jovetic up
front while Manchester City defender Stefan Savic is expected to
reproduce his effervescent Wembley performance.
"Our strikers are in good form and the whole team will play
their hearts out because this is a great chance to get
Montenegro on the big stage," said Jovanovic.
Europe's nine group winners and the best second-placed team
will qualify automatically for the finals while the other eight
runners-up enter two-leg play-offs for the last four berths.
Squad:
Goalkeepers: Mladen Bozovic (Videoton), Srdjan Blazic
(Panetolikos), Miodrag Todorovic (Mogren Budva)
Defenders: Savo Pavicevic (Maccabi Tel Aviv), Elsad Zverotic
(Young Boys Berne), Drasko Bozovic (Buducnost Podgorica), Milan
Jovanovic (Spartak Nalchik), Luka Pejovic (Jagiellonia), Marko
Basa (Lille), Stefan Savic (Manchester City), Miodrag Dzudovic
(Spartak Nalchik), Radoslav Batak (Mogren Budva), Vladan Adzic
(Rudar Pljevlja).
Midfielders: Nikola Drincic (Krasnodar), Mladen Kascelan (LKS
Lodz), Milorad Pekovic (Greuther Furth), Mitar Novakovic (Amkar
Perm), Vladimir Bozovic (Rapid Bucharest), Simon Vukcevic
(Blackburn Rovers), Petar Grbic (Olympiakos Piraeus), Marko
Cetkovic (Jagiellonia).
Forwards: Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina), Dejan Damjanovic
(Seoul), Mirko Vucinic (Juventus), Radomir Djalovic (Amkar
Perm), Andrija Delibasic (Rayo Vallecano), Fatos Beciraj (Dinamo
Zagreb).