With no major tournament appearances since the 2010 World Cup, Serbia are entering something of the unknown in Russia as they bid to qualify from a challenging Group E containing Costa Rica, Switzerland and competition favourites Brazil.
A hard-fought qualifying campaign, which ended with the team finishing top of their section above three Euro 2016 participants – Republic of Ireland, Wales and Austria – had an unexpected postscript when the man who steered Serbia to Russia, Slavoljub Muslin, was replaced by his untried assistant, Mladen Krstajić, who promptly removed the captaincy from the team’s most experienced and respected player, Branislav Ivanović.
Ivanović and new skipper Aleksandar Kolarov are two of just four players in Krstajić’s 23-man party with previous senior tournament experience. I have looked at the international careers – long and short – of all those selected and listed some interesting facts and figures about the squad below.
I am compiling similar information on the other 13 European teams in the build-up to the Big Kick-off on Thursday, June 14. Most of the other surveys are already on the site.
Here is the Serbia squad with the players’ current club, caps and goals:
Goalkeepers
Marko Dmitrović (Eibar, 2/0), Predrag Rajković (Maccabi Tel-Aviv, 8/0), Vladimir Stojković (Partizan Belgrade, 81/0)
Defenders
Branislav Ivanović (Zenir, 103/13), Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma, 76/10), Nikola Milenković (Fiorentina, 3/0), Milan Rodić (Red Star Belgrade, 1/0), Antonio Rukavina (Villarreal, 47/0), Uroš Spajić (Krasnodar, 5/0), Duško Tošić (Beşiktaş, 24/1), Miloš Veljković (Werder Bremen, 2/0)
Midfielders
Marko Grujić (Liverpool, 8/0), Filip Kostić (Hamburg, 23/2), Adem Ljajić (Torino, 29/6), Nemanja Matić (Manchester United, 40/2), Luka Milivojević (Crystal Palace, 28/1), Sergej Milinković-Savić (Lazio, 4/0), Nemanja Radonjić (Red Star Belgrade, 3/0), Dušan Tadić (Southampton, 53/13), Andrija Živković (Benfica, 10/0)
Forwards
Luka Jović (Benfica, 1/0), Aleksandar Mitrović (Newcastle United, 37/16), Aleksandar Prijović, 9/1)
The total number of international caps gained by the 23 players is 597. The number of caps gained in competitive fixtures (i.e. World Cup and Euro matches) is 274. The number of caps gained at final tournaments is 8. The number of caps gained at the World Cup finals is 8.
The total number of international goals scored by the 23 players is 65. The number of goals scored in competitive fixtures is 36. The number of goals scored at final tournaments is 0. The number of goals scored at the World Cup finals is 0.
The number of players in the squad appearing at their first final tournament is 19. The number of players appearing at their first World Cup is 19.
There are 4 survivors from the 2010 World Cup squad: Stojković, Ivanović, Kolarov and Rukavina.
There is 1 survivor from the Serbia & Montenegro 2006 World Cup squad: Stojković.
Stojković is the only player in the 23 travelling to a third final tournament.
Stojković and Ivanović have played the most final tournament matches: three.
Although Rukavina was in the 2010 World Cup squad, he has yet to make an appearance at a final tournament.
Eight squad members have never played a competitive international: Dmitrović, Milenković, Rodić, Veljković, Grujić, Milinković-Savić, Radonjić and Jović.
Spajić and Živković are the only other members of the party who made no appearances in 2018 World Cup qualifying.
Four players have appeared in over 25 competitive internationals. Their records are as follows:
Ivanović – Pld 53 W24 D13 L16 (of which at final tournaments Pld 3 W1 D0 L2)
Stojković – Pld 47 W23 D11 L13 (Pld 3 W1 D0 L2)
Kolarov – Pld 34 W17 D7 L10 (Pld 2 W1 D0 L1)
Tadić – Pld 27 W12 D6 L9
Three players in the squad are yet to lose a competitive international: Rajković (W1 D1), Spajić (W1 D0) and Živković (W1 D0).
Ivanović, Kolarov and Mitrović are the squad’s leading scorers in competitive internationals, all with seven goals. All of Mitrović’s seven have come in the World Cup, putting him just ahead of Kolarov and Tadić (six goals apiece) in that category
No squad members have found the net at a final tournament.
Serbia have never lost a competitive international in which either Tadić or Mitrović has scored.
Ivanović and Tadić were the only two squad members who started all ten 2018 World Cup qualifiers, with only Ivanović having been on the field from first minute to last in every game.
Mitrović was Serbia’s top scorer in 2018 World Cup qualifying with six goals from a team total of 20. Eight other players found the net, with Tadić scoring four times and Kolarov and Kostić twice each. The non-selected Mijat Gaćinović also scored twice.
Serbia faced Group E opponents Brazil in a pre-World Cup friendly in June 2014, losing 1-0 in Sao Paulo. Seven of Krstajić’s 2018 World Cup squad started that game: Stojković, Ivanović, Kolarov, Tošić, Matić, Tadić and Mitrović.
None of the 23 players has ever faced Costa Rica or Switzerland.
Only three of the 23 players operate in the Serbian SuperLiga – two with Red Star Belgrade and one with city rivals Partizan. The other 20 are spread across nine different countries, with England supplying the largest number (five).
Benfica is the only club other than Red Star providing more than one player to the squad (two).
Ivanović (Zenit) and Spajić (Krasnodar) both ply their trade in Russia.
Comentários