GELSENKIRCHEN, GERMANY: When Serbia finally make their long awaited European Championship debut on Sunday, manager Dragan Stojkovic said they are determined not to be overawed by the occasion or their English opponents who are one of the front-runners for the title.
Eighteen years after gaining independence, Serbia face a stiff test against England in the opening match of their Euro 2024 campaign.
"We should have maximum concentration and the quality at the maximum level, and I would not make a difference between the first, second or the third match, each of those matches are of extraordinary importance," Stojkovic told reporters Saturday via an interpreter.
"We know that we are starting against one of the favourites playing against England, but we have really done a lot to prepare as best as possible. Trust me, they can hardly wait for the match to start, because physically and tactically at the same time, I am convinced that we are ready to face the challenges that come with England."
Stojkovic, who is coaching Serbia at a major tournament for the second time, hopes a strong performance in Germany can be a launch pad for his side considering all three of their appearances at the World Cup have ended in the group stage.
"Some of the players that are playing here were not even born the last time Serbia participated in the Euro," he said referring to the fact that Serbia was part of Yugoslavia, which reached the quarter-finals in 2000.
"We have been waiting for a long time for this and I think that we have really deserved this," he said.
"We managed to bring Serbia to the top of the European football and it is up to us to make the further step, and the further step is to focus on what comes next. We are going to fight to the end and we're going to give even more than the maximum."
Stojkovic said all his players are healthy for Sunday. Serbia are likely to be led in Gelsenkirchen by Aleksandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who are team mates at Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia, and Dusan Tadic. Mitrovic spent eight years with Newcastle and Fulham before his move to the Arabian Peninsula.
Serbia play Slovenia on Thursday and then take on Denmark in their final Group C game on June 25.