Euro 2008: All or nothing for Serbia

Serbia take on Finland in a Euro 2008 qualifier in a match that could make or break their hopes of reaching the tournament. After a generally unhappy week for Serbian sport, with the demise of the once mighty basketball team, and the premature exits of Ana Ivanovic and Jelena Jankovic at the U.S. Open tennis championships, it is left to the ever unpredictable football team to try and retrieve some semblance of sporting dignity. Euro 2008: All or nothing for Serbia The “White Eagles” go into this evening’s ecounter with the Finns at the Marakana, lying fourth in Group A with fourteen points from eight games, three points behind their opponents, but with a game in hand, in what is proving to be one of the qualifying competition’s tightest groups. Serbia’s postion would be even better now, had they not succumbed so meekly to a Belgian side in Brussels last month, which had virtually nothing to play for. That 3-2 defeat means that anything but maximum points tonight will leave them with a mountain to climb, going into Wednesday’s match against Portugal in Lisbon on Wednesday night. Serbia’s one saving grace thus far in the campaign is that their rivals’ form has been as inconsistent as their own, with no single team able to grab the group by the scruff of the neck. While the Eagles will long be haunted by the 2-1 reverse in Kazakhstan back in March, the Finns, and Poland too, will have similar nightmares when looking back on their respective 1-0 defeats in Armenia. Even Luis Scolari’s usually infallible Portuguese were lucky to escape from Yerevan with a point. All of which means, that there is still everything to play for tonight. Serbia manager Javier Clemente has continued to spring surprises in his squad selection for the game, omitting Red Star’s in-form midfielder Ognjen Koroman, while many remain puzzled by his refusal to give a recall to Fenerbahce’s Mateja Kezman, in the light of Marko Pantelic’s continued goal drought for the national team. Captain Dejan Stankovic and team talisman Nikola Zigic return tonight, after missing the Belgian match through suspension and injury respectively, although the latter will probably begin on the bench. Stankovic, who has missed the two defeats so far to Belgium and Kazakhstan, says ahead of the match, “That’s just sheer coincidence, but in any case I’m here to help now. We still believe we can win five of our remaining six games.” The bad news for the home team is that Manchester Utd. defender Nemanja Vidic is supended, while Mladen Krstajic and Milan Smiljanic will also miss out through injury. Partizan’s Zoran Tosic has been drafted in as cover, and could make his debut at the back. For the Finns, manager Roy Hodgson will have to do without the services of Toni Kalio, Aki Riihilahti and captain Jari Litmanen, although midfielder Mika Vayrynen returns. Tonight's match kicks off at 8.15 p.m. CET. Zdravko Kuzmanovic (FoNet)

Euro 2008: All or nothing for Serbia

The “White Eagles” go into this evening’s ecounter with the Finns at the Marakana, lying fourth in Group A with fourteen points from eight games, three points behind their opponents, but with a game in hand, in what is proving to be one of the qualifying competition’s tightest groups.

Serbia’s postion would be even better now, had they not succumbed so meekly to a Belgian side in Brussels last month, which had virtually nothing to play for. That 3-2 defeat means that anything but maximum points tonight will leave them with a mountain to climb, going into Wednesday’s match against Portugal in Lisbon on Wednesday night.

Serbia’s one saving grace thus far in the campaign is that their rivals’ form has been as inconsistent as their own, with no single team able to grab the group by the scruff of the neck.

While the Eagles will long be haunted by the 2-1 reverse in Kazakhstan back in March, the Finns, and Poland too, will have similar nightmares when looking back on their respective 1-0 defeats in Armenia. Even Luis Scolari’s usually infallible Portuguese were lucky to escape from Yerevan with a point.

All of which means, that there is still everything to play for tonight. Serbia manager Javier Clemente has continued to spring surprises in his squad selection for the game, omitting Red Star’s in-form midfielder Ognjen Koroman, while many remain puzzled by his refusal to give a recall to Fenerbahce’s Mateja Kezman, in the light of Marko Pantelić’s continued goal drought for the national team.

Captain Dejan Stanković and team talisman Nikola Žigić return tonight, after missing the Belgian match through suspension and injury respectively, although the latter will probably begin on the bench. Stanković, who has missed the two defeats so far to Belgium and Kazakhstan, says ahead of the match, “That’s just sheer coincidence, but in any case I’m here to help now. We still believe we can win five of our remaining six games.”

The bad news for the home team is that Manchester Utd. defender Nemanja Vidić is supended, while Mladen Krstajić and Milan Smiljanić will also miss out through injury. Partizan’s Zoran Tošić has been drafted in as cover, and could make his debut at the back.

For the Finns, manager Roy Hodgson will have to do without the services of Toni Kalio, Aki Riihilahti and captain Jari Litmanen, although midfielder Mika Vayrynen returns.

Tonight's match kicks off at 8.15 p.m. CET.