Serbia could wrap up last-16 place
Serbia will attempt to wrap up qualification to the World Cup knockout rounds today as they take on a Switzerland team brimming with confidence after grabbing a draw with Brazil.
The Serbs control their own destiny in Group E after an opening 1-0 win against Costa Rica on Sunday, which came courtesy of a stunning Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick.
Victory over Switzerland in Kaliningrad today would guarantee Serbia a place in the last 16, regardless of whether they win or lose their final group game with Brazil next week.
Roma star Kolarov acknowledged that Serbia were in a strong position to qualify for the knockout rounds for the first time since they competed alongside Montenegro in 1998.
However, the 32-year-old cautioned that the Serbs would take nothing for granted against the Swiss.
“It’s very important that we have these three points in the bag, but it’s not over, Switzerland will be the hardest match,” he said.
“I don’t want to do the maths for now. If we draw it would not work. We want to win of course.”
Serbia boast a host of current and former Premier League talent, including Manchester United Midfielder Nemanja Matic.
But their rising star is Lazio’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, a rangy attacking midfielder who has drawn comparisons with Serbian great Dejan Stankovic.
Former coach Slavoljub Muslin, who led the team to qualification for Russia, reportedly paid with his job for failing to select Milinkovic-Savic.
It is not a mistake current coach Mladen Krstajic intends to repeat and the Lazio man was lively against Costa Rica.
“Milinkovic-Savic is a great player, with really exceptional technique,” Swiss defender Denis Zakaria said.
“It’s not just him, lots of their players play for big clubs, but we also have good players.”
Switzerland were ranked above France and Spain in sixth place before the tournament and battled hard for a point against a Brazil side led by Neymar in their opener.
“It was very good teamwork on the right side. It was almost a perfect game. It’s important to have this teamwork,” Arsenal-bound captain Stephan Lichtsteiner said.