Confident in their own attack, Serbs say they are not afraid of Brazil in the debut

Classified undefeated for the World Cup in Qatar, leaving Portugal with the second place in group A of the European qualifiers, Serbia is optimistic for the debut against Brazil this Thursday (24), at 4 pm (Brasília time).

The main reason for this confidence is their attack, which scored 18 goals in the qualifiers (four of them against Portugal). In a press conference this Monday (21), at the Al-Arabi club, in Doha, where Serbia is preparing, defender Nikola Milenkovic, 25, praised the Brazilian attack, but highlighted that his team knows what it needs to do in the duel.

“With one move, they [brasileiros] they can create a problem for the opponent… In defense, we have to be at the maximum level of attention, also because Brazil has extraordinary strikers. I think we’re all going to be under a lot of pressure. They have good players in all positions, we have to be prepared. Being aware of the importance of the game will certainly not be easy. On the other hand, we are ready to fight and make the result work in our favour,” Milenkovic told Serbian newspaper Sportal.

Making it clear that his selection’s goal is to reach the round of 16 of the Cup, the Fiorentina defender said that there is no reason to fear the team from Canaan.

“Brazil are the favorites in the group, probably also in the World Cup, but we are not afraid of anyone. We just need to be what we were. The pitch will provide the answers. Brazil has great players in all positions, not just Neymar , and they play at a high level. We shouldn’t be afraid of any team, but look forward”, he concluded, still to the Serbian newspaper.

This speech was corroborated by midfielder Darko Lazovic, 32, who plays for Verona (ITA).

“Fear is a harsh word, but they certainly respect us. I prefer to be underestimated. This is the World Cup, they are waiting a long time for the gold… It is true that Brazil has flaws and we, together with the coaching staff, will try to discover them”, said Lazovic, also to Sportal.

For the clash against Tite’s team, Serbian coach Dragan Stojkovic, 57, had good news this Monday: the return to training of attacking midfielder Filip Kostic, 30.

He had stayed out of training on Sunday (20) to recover from physical problems, but participated in normal activities with the rest of the team on Monday, showing that he had recovered.

Newly signed by Juventus (ITA), Kostic was the highlight of the German Eintracht Frankfurt in recent years, having even won the Europa League 2021/22 title, of which he was elected the best player.

He was also part of Serbia’s 2018 Russian Cup campaign, when the team lost to Brazil (2-0) and Switzerland (1-0) and beat Costa Rica (1-0).

In the Serbian national team, he is one of the main responsible for the counterattacks, due to his technique and speed on the left side of the field.