Petkovic breathes youth into Serbian World Cup squad

BELGRADE, May 16: Serbia and Montenegro manager Ilija Petkovic has kept his promise to introduce a breath of youth into his World Cup squad.

The 23-man line-up named yesterday includes veteran Savo Milosevic, Dejan Stankovic and Mateja Kezman, the sole survivors of the Euro 2000 campaign when the team represented Yugoslavia.

Three under-21 internationals have also been picked including Red Star Belgrade defender Dusan Basta who has a good chance of starting the opening match against the Netherlands on June 11.

Basta is a likely starter on the right flank with Goran Gavrancic expected to fill in for Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic at centre back. Vidic will miss the opener after a red card in the decisive 1-0 qualifying win against Bosnia.

''This is the best we have got and I can vouch that each and everyone of these lads deserve to be in the World Cup,'' said 60-year-old Petkovic.

Serbia and Montenegro are grouped with Argentina, the Netherlands and the Ivory Coast at the finals in Germany starting on June 9.

Dragoslav Jevric has been named the first-choice goalkeeper while Mladen Krstajic and Ivica Dragutinovic are assured of places on the left side of defence.

The only surprise was the inclusion of uncapped Basel midfielder Ivan Ergic, who has made a full recovery after fighting off mononucleosis and impressed Petkovic with recent performances for the Swiss club.

Ergic, a strong and versatile player who can be moved around the midfield, is seen as a replacement for injury-prone playmakers Zvonimir Vukic and Sasa Ilic.

Petkovic can choose from Igor Duljaj and Albert Nadj or both as protection for the back four.

Stankovic and 33-year-old Predrag Djordjevic are expected to carve out the supply routes to Kezman and new strike partner Nikola Zigic, who was preferred to Milosevic in the latter stages on the road to Germany.

Petkovic said determination and unity were the key ingredients for a good World Cup campaign but declined to predict how far his team might go in the tournament.

''I can't promise anything. We are in the toughest group along with two giants that need no introduction and an Ivory Coast side posing a very serious threat too,'' he said.

Yugoslavia were drubbed 6-1 by the Dutch co-hosts in the Euro 2000 quarter-finals. Pekovic briefly took over as coach after that loss before resigning six months later.

He started his current stint as Serbia and Montenegro coach in 2003 during an already doomed Euro 2004 campaign.

REUTERS