Upbeat Savicevic names squad

Yugoslavia coach Dejan Savicevic has named his 24-man squad for the LG Cup in Moscow, a tournament he sees as a vital component in his team's preparations for their EURO 2004™ qualification attempt, which begins on 12 October against Italy.

No radical change
Marjan Markovic of FK Crvena Zvezda is the only new face in the party, which will take on Ukraine in Friday's semi-final of the tournament which also features Belarus and the FIFA World Cup-bound hosts Russia. Yugoslavia failed to make Korea/Japan, but Savicevic sees no reason to radically alter his squad despite that disappointment.

Savicevic confident
"These are the best players in Yugoslavia now," he said. "I believe in them and we are on the way to again having a strong national team. We have little time left before qualifying, so I hope to complete a list of 25 players I can rely on in our EURO 2004™ campaign."
 
LG Cup is 'good opportunity'
Savicevic also spoke of the importance of the LG Cup for his team. "This is a good opportunity to see where we are today. I insist on playing friendlies against strong teams," he said. Opponents Ukraine are highly-rated by Savicevic, who will be given advice by squad member and FC Dynamo Kyiv defender Goran Gavrancic.

Coach wants to win
The coach insisted he wants to win the tournament, considering it of importance in restoring team confidence after their unsuccessful World Cup bid. "We are going to Moscow to win, this is very important for us," he said while conceding, "Russia clearly are the favourites."

Group 9 opponents
Alongside Italy, Yugoslavia also face Finland, Wales and Azerbaijan in EURO 2004™ qualifying Group 9.
 
Yugoslavia squad
Jevric, Zilic, Poleksic, Lajetic, Markovic, Koroman, Dmitrovic, Dragutinovic, Mirkovic, Mihajlovic, Krstajic, Dzodic, Gavrancic, Jokanovic, Stankovic, Djordjevic, Brnovic, Ilic, Ivic, Mijatovic, Milosevic, Kovacevic, Kezman, Pjanovic.