DJ Bungi Posted October 11, 2005 Report Share Posted October 11, 2005 Bosnia's Bolic seeking glory against Serbia Striker Elvir Bolic is hoping for a glorious return to Red Star's Marakana stadium as Bosnia-Herzegovina face Serbia and Montenegro in their final qualifier on Wednesday. Tight security measures are expected as nearly 1,000 Bosnian supporters are expected to make the trip to Belgrade for an emotionally charged encounter. "I have very fond memories of playing for Red Star when I was a youngster," said Bolic, who enjoyed a brief spell with the former European champions in 1992. "I scored quite a few goals then and I hope I can stick one in now in the twilight of my career," added the 34-year-old, who hit a hat-trick against San Marino on Saturday. Victory will seal automatic qualification for Group Seven leaders Serbia, while the Bosnians can snatch a playoff berth if they come away from Belgrade with all three points. A draw could also be enough for the Serbs to top the group if Spain fail to beat San Marino by at least four goals. Both Serbia and Bosnia can go through, as group winners and playoff contenders, only in the highly unlikely event of Spain failing to beat San Marino. Media on both sides have played down the political aspect of the showdown, a decade after the end of the bloody ethnic war between Serbs and Muslims from 1992 to 1995. The two sides drew 0-0 draw in Sarajevo last October, when police outnumbered the several hundred visiting Bosnian Serb fans. Serbia striker Mateja Kezman believes the visitors do not stand a chance in the cauldron of Marakana. "The whole of Belgrade should breathe as one on Wednesday and I am sure the Bosnians will quickly realise what they are up against," he was quoted as saying by daily Vecernje Novosti. "We don't deserve to be in the World Cup finals if we can't beat Bosnia in Belgrade," he added. But Bosnia manager Blaz Sliskovic, has transformed the team since taking over in 2002 and was confident they could pull off an upset in Belgrade. "We are going to Belgrade with the strong conviction that we can win and I think this team is capable of doing that. It shouldn't be a surprise if we make it," he said. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikel Posted October 11, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 11, 2005 Victory will seal automatic qualification for Group Seven leaders Serbia, while the Bosnians can snatch a playoff berth if they come away from Belgrade with all three points.A draw could also be enough for the Serbs to top the group if Spain fail to beat San Marino by at least four goals. Both Serbia and Bosnia can go through, as group winners and playoff contenders, only in the highly unlikely event of Spain failing to beat San Marino. Mmmm, Spain won't fail :glare: :sleepy: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BethnalGreen Posted October 11, 2005 Report Share Posted October 11, 2005 Victory will seal automatic qualification for Group Seven leaders Serbia, while the Bosnians can snatch a playoff berth if they come away from Belgrade with all three points.A draw could also be enough for the Serbs to top the group if Spain fail to beat San Marino by at least four goals. Both Serbia and Bosnia can go through, as group winners and playoff contenders, only in the highly unlikely event of Spain failing to beat San Marino. Mmmm, Spain won't fail :glare: :sleepy: I would hope not Mikel !!! :wwww: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRATK Posted October 11, 2005 Report Share Posted October 11, 2005 But if Spain fails... I will laugh for a complete month... exactly as I did the 80 minutes when Portugal was being beated by Liechtenstein or after the draw of Uzbekistan with Bahrein in the repeat of the first match (UZB 1-0 BHR). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikel Posted October 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 But if Spain fails... I will laugh for a complete month... exactly as I did the 80 minutes when Portugal was being beated by Liechtenstein or after the draw of Uzbekistan with Bahrein in the repeat of the first match (UZB 1-0 BHR). And I will laugh for my complete life if Chile finishes last in the South America clasification table and Argentina qualifies... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJ Bungi Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Bosnians Still Harbour Hope Bosnia-Herzegovina forward Elvir Bolic; is unlikely to score a more important hat-trick than the one which put his side within touching distance of the 2006 FIFA World Cup play-offs last weekend. Strong Position It may have come against San Marino but his treble means victory over Serbia and Montenegro in their final qualifier could secure Blaž Slišković's team top spot in Group 7 and a ticket to Germany, should Spain fail to win away to the Sammarinese. Harsh Lesson The fact this vital game is against neighbours Serbia and Montenegro has made the build-up all the more tense. However, coach Slišković believes his side will thrive on the pressure after the harsh lesson they were given in similar circumstances by Denmark two years ago. New Level On that occasion, Slišković believes, a lack of experience cost them a place at UEFA EURO 2004™. "We just couldn't cope against the Danes," he said. "The players and fans took it very badly, but now we have more experience I think we can take our performance to a new level. Mental Strength "It will be an extremely difficult match, especially from a mental perspective," he added. "Anything is possible, and yes, I think they are favourites, playing in front of their own supporters. If they don't win, they are still in the play-offs, but we can be satisfied only with a win." Barbarez Return If Bosnia-Herzegovina want a reason for optimism they need look no further than the return of key forward Sergej Barbarez. Word was that Barbarez would not recover in time from a rib injury - but the Hamburger SV favourite was adamant he would play in this game regardless of his physical condition. Big Success "Miss the match in Belgrade - are you joking?" said Barbarez. "For a month now I've been thinking about this game, just like my team-mates. We could achieve a great success and I'm not going to give up so close to the finish. I have never been fitter or better prepared mentally for a match. It will be tough in the 'Marakana' stadium but I am sure we can do it." Great Expectations There is similar expectation in the Serbia and Montenegro camp, where captain Savo Milošević insists the tie is one of the most important of his career. "I know every Serb and Montenegrin will be with us, cheering every kick and fighting every tackle," said Milošević. "The atmosphere in Belgrade will be like Brazil - maybe a bit more hostile but so noisy. The Bosnians must be a little afraid of us from a footballing point of view - that's why I think we will win." Passionate Support Coach Ilija Petković believes the sell-out 55,000 crowd could prove decisive. "Our games with Bosnia and Herzegovina are always much more than a football match," he said. "They have a good team, strong players and plenty of experience. But I think our quality will be too much for them." Tough Call With Petković's side having conceded only one goal in qualifying, the visitors will have their work cut out to force a result. But Bosnia-Herzegovina have won two of their last three away games and drawn the other in Spain, so anything is possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mikel Posted October 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 Bosnians Still Harbour HopeBosnia-Herzegovina forward Elvir Bolic; is unlikely to score a more important hat-trick than the one which put his side within touching distance of the 2006 FIFA World Cup play-offs last weekend. Strong Position It may have come against San Marino but his treble means victory over Serbia and Montenegro in their final qualifier could secure Blaž Slišković's team top spot in Group 7 and a ticket to Germany, should Spain fail to win away to the Sammarinese. Harsh Lesson The fact this vital game is against neighbours Serbia and Montenegro has made the build-up all the more tense. However, coach Slišković believes his side will thrive on the pressure after the harsh lesson they were given in similar circumstances by Denmark two years ago. New Level On that occasion, Slišković believes, a lack of experience cost them a place at UEFA EURO 2004™. "We just couldn't cope against the Danes," he said. "The players and fans took it very badly, but now we have more experience I think we can take our performance to a new level. Mental Strength "It will be an extremely difficult match, especially from a mental perspective," he added. "Anything is possible, and yes, I think they are favourites, playing in front of their own supporters. If they don't win, they are still in the play-offs, but we can be satisfied only with a win." Barbarez Return If Bosnia-Herzegovina want a reason for optimism they need look no further than the return of key forward Sergej Barbarez. Word was that Barbarez would not recover in time from a rib injury - but the Hamburger SV favourite was adamant he would play in this game regardless of his physical condition. Big Success "Miss the match in Belgrade - are you joking?" said Barbarez. "For a month now I've been thinking about this game, just like my team-mates. We could achieve a great success and I'm not going to give up so close to the finish. I have never been fitter or better prepared mentally for a match. It will be tough in the 'Marakana' stadium but I am sure we can do it." Great Expectations There is similar expectation in the Serbia and Montenegro camp, where captain Savo Milošević insists the tie is one of the most important of his career. "I know every Serb and Montenegrin will be with us, cheering every kick and fighting every tackle," said Milošević. "The atmosphere in Belgrade will be like Brazil - maybe a bit more hostile but so noisy. The Bosnians must be a little afraid of us from a footballing point of view - that's why I think we will win." Passionate Support Coach Ilija Petković believes the sell-out 55,000 crowd could prove decisive. "Our games with Bosnia and Herzegovina are always much more than a football match," he said. "They have a good team, strong players and plenty of experience. But I think our quality will be too much for them." Tough Call With Petković's side having conceded only one goal in qualifying, the visitors will have their work cut out to force a result. But Bosnia-Herzegovina have won two of their last three away games and drawn the other in Spain, so anything is possible. We will see today... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KRATK Posted October 12, 2005 Report Share Posted October 12, 2005 But if Spain fails... I will laugh for a complete month... exactly as I did the 80 minutes when Portugal was being beated by Liechtenstein or after the draw of Uzbekistan with Bahrein in the repeat of the first match (UZB 1-0 BHR). And I will laugh for my complete life if Chile finishes last in the South America clasification table and Argentina qualifies... I didn't said anything against Spain... I only said that would be hilarious that a big team like Spain lose when they are in the last round of th Qualifies against one of the worst team in the world, like San Marino. Anyway, Chile could'n be the last... the worst could be the 7th place. And Argentina have already qualified. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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