Al Rayyan (Qatar): Serbia coach Dragan Stojkovic dismissed rumours of Brazil spying on their coaching periods utilizing a drone, saying on Wednesday the South American superpower would acquire nothing from filming their exercises.
Brazil and Serbia have been coaching on the Al Arabi SC coaching amenities in Doha, with each groups’ bases located on both facet of the street.
“I do not consider they watched us, who’re we for them to look at us? They’re a soccer superpower,” Stojkovic mentioned forward of their Group G opener on the Lusail Stadium on Thursday.
“I feel it is misinformation. And even when it was a drone, I do not know what they’d have seen, nothing particular,” he joked.
World Cup favourites Brazil have an array of attacking expertise at their disposal however Stojkovic mentioned that they’d not shrink back from the problem of taking over the five-time champions.
Brazil coach Tite has stacked his squad with 9 forwards led by Neymar, who can overtake Pele because the nation’s all-time prime scorer if he scores three extra objectives so as to add to his tally of 75.
“Will 4 strikers play towards Serbia? Then we’re performed… However will anybody play in defence?” Stojkovic mentioned.
“Brazilare an important staff, top-of-the-line on the planet. For me they’ve a golden era for the time being and I anticipate a really troublesome sport…The sport begins at 0-0, we now have an opportunity to win and we aren’t afraid of anybody, not even Brazil.
“We’ve got extra mature, assured gamers with the expertise of getting performed in a World Cup. It is a new problem.”
He did, nonetheless, add that they had been “very unfortunate” to be drawn in the identical group as Brazil, Switzerland and Cameroon.
“Brazil is a superb staff, each individually and collectively. They’re, for positive, one of many favourites,” skipper Dusan Tadic mentioned.
“However we’re centered on ourselves, we are going to have a look at Brazil’s qualities however we will even deal with our qualities, we need to make our nation proud and play our fashion of soccer.”
Serbia have been sweating on top-scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic’s availability after he suffered an ankle harm however Stojkovic, who refused to disclose his line-up, mentioned the striker was coaching with the squad.
“The excellent news is that he’s not experiencing ache the place he had an harm,” he mentioned.
“However (Filip) Kostic is affected by an harm, he feels fatigue within the muscle. It’s a massive query mark relating to him.”