Azeri match marks new beginning

New name ratified
Yugoslavia ceased to exist yesterday when the country's bid to be called Serbia and Montenegro was ratified by the United Nations and recognised by UEFA and FIFA. Thus, the qualifying match against the Azeris in Podgorica marks the birth of a new football nation.

Promising position
Dejan Savicevic's side find themselves in a promising position in the section having drawn 1-1 away to Italy, the struggling Group 9 favourites, and beaten Finland 2-0 at home. Only Wales, who have won each of their three matches to date, stand between Serbia and Montenegro and the summit.

Automatic passage
With the group winners being rewarded with automatic passage to Portugal, it is imperative that the Serbo-Montenegrins cut the Welsh lead to two points with victory against Azerbaijan, a side who have lost all three matches so far and are rocked by internal strife.

Duo suspended
Yet preparations have not gone smoothly for Serbia and Montenegro either. With experienced duo Sinisa Mihajlovic and Darko Kovacevic suspended, the coach could have done without the injury crisis which prevented him from calling up seven players.

'Fix that hole'
Two more defenders then withdrew - SV Werder Bremen's Mladen Krstajic damaged a shoulder in 1. Bundesliga action at the weekend and Goran Trobok, the FK Partizan full-back, broke down in training. The coach said: "We will try to fix that hole in our defensive line." He has gone some way to doing so by calling-up FK Crvena Zvezda's attacking full-back Marjan Markovic.

Stage fright
The match is the first international to be staged in Podgorica in 21 years and Savicevic admitted to feeling nervous ahead of what will be his first match as coach in front of his hometown fans. He added of the game: "We have to play this match with the same attitude as against Italy. Underestimating the opponent is forbidden regardless of their international status. I would be satisfied even with a minimum victory - we need to take three points."

Club boycott
The Azerbaijan squad is also weakened, though not through injury. A number of domestic clubs have prevented their players from travelling to Podgorica following a disagreement with the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan (AFFA), robbing coach Asker Abdullaye of at least four regulars.

Youngsters promoted
Defender Emin Agayev, of Russian side FC Khimki, did not travel either due to the late notice of his call-up, leaving the Azeris with just 16 players at their disposal. That figure was boosted by two additions after Romal Huseynov and Aftandil Hajiyev stepped up from the Under-21 side.

'Incredible team spirit'
Azerbaijan lost a recent friendly match against FK Mladost Podgorica, although no foreign-based players featured in the 1-0 defeat. Tarlan Akhmedov, an Azeri player and assistant coach, said he hoped the team's "incredible team spirit" would see them achieve an unlikely result: "We can only win with qualities like determination and mental toughness. We have numerous problems, but they only make us mentally tougher."