Ilić ready to lead Serbia again

Serbia collected the maximum four points from their opening two EHF EURO 2014 qualifiers, having beaten Russia at home and Bosnia-Herzegovina away to make a perfect start in their quest to qualify for next year’s 16-team tournament in Denmark.

The Serbians, runners-up from last year’s championship at home, know they would make a decisive step towards the eagerly awaited event with two wins against Austria in their upcoming Group 7 doubleheader in the first week of April.

Coach Veselin Vukovic, who has a point to prove along with his players after poor performances at the 2012 London Olympics and the 2013 World Championship in Spain, named the strongest squad available for the games against Austria and perhaps the biggest boost was the inclusion of captain Momir Ilić.

The THW Kiel left back suggested in January he was ready to quit the national team but fortunately for Serbia, he had a change of heart after Vuković was forced to scrap several starters for various reasons, most of them being sidelined with injuries.

“I would be a very poor character if I said no to Serbia in a situation like this,” Ilić told Belgrade daily Sportski Žurnal.

“Several others who also planned to quit the national team have vowed to turn up in order to make sure we beat Austria twice and secure Serbia’s passage to the EHF EURO 2014.

“When we have accomplished that task, we will have a sit-down with the coach and the federation chiefs to see what’s best for the future,” Ilić emphasised.

A seamless change of generations will only be ensured if Serbia can live up to high expectations from their fans, having raised the bar when they won the silver medal in a memorable EHF EURO 2012, having lost the final to Denmark in front of more than raucous 20,000 home fans in Belgrade’s Kombank Arena.

Hence Vuković named a strong squad, missing only centre backs Petar Nenadić, who is out with a muscle injury, and Nikola Manojlović, who is still recovering from surgery after cardiac problems but should soon be fit.

There are several newcomers who have earned their call-ups with impressive performances in the Serbian league and will be hoping to transfer that form to the international stage if given the chance against Austria.

Serbia squad for the EHF EURO 2014 qualifiers against Austria on 3 and 7 April:

Goalkeepers: Darko Stanić (Metalurg Skopje), Stanko Abadžić (Vojvodina Novi Sad), Tibor Ivanišević (Red Star Belgrade), Mihailo Radovanović (Partizan Belgrade).

Wingers: Ivan Nikčević (Wisla Plock), Nemanja Ilić (Partizan Belgrade), Filip Marjanović (Metaloplastika Šabac), Dobrivoje Marković (Vardar Skopje), Rajko Prodanović (Pick Szeged), Darko Đukić (Železničar Niš), Bogdan Radivojević (Partizan Belgrade).

Line players: Alem Toskić (Celje), Živan Pešić (Veszprem), Bojan Beljanski (Goeppingen), Mijajlo Marsenić (Partizan Belgrade).

Back court: Žarko Šešum (Rhein Neckar Loewen), Momir Ilić (THW Kiel), Momir Rnić (Goeppingen), Miloš Dragaš (Metaloplastika Šabac), Draško Nenadić (Guadalajara), Nenad Vučković (Melsungen), Uroš Mitrović (Partizan Belgrade), Marko Krsmančić (Alpla Hard), Luka Mitrović (Aalborg), Marko Vujin (THW Kiel), Ivan Stanković (Creteille), Nemanja Zelenović (Pivovarna Laško Celje), Ljubomir Jošić (Vojvodina Novi Sad).