England and Montenegro make first acquaintance
Monday, September 13, 2010
Article summary
A new chapter in the history of England and Montenegro will be written when the teams meet at Wembley, with no sides from the two nations having ever met before at club or international level.
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Article body
UEFA's newest member nation are poised for another continental rite of passage in UEFA EURO 2012 qualifying as they visit Wembley Stadium to take on world football pioneers England in Group G.
Match background
• The two nations have never met before at senior level, nor has a team from Montenegro been drawn against a side from England in UEFA club competition.
• England and Montenegro met in qualifying for the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship. Future senior internationals Stevan Jovetić, Elsad Zverotić and Simon Vukčević featured in the Montenegro side that lost 3-0 at home on 7 September 2007. Jovetić also played as they lost the return fixture 1-0 in Leicester on 12 October 2007, three years to the day before the sides' first senior meeting.
Team ties
• Montenegro's Croatian coach Zlatko Kranjčar may be able to get some useful information on his team's opponents from his son Niko, a midfielder who plays in England for Tottenham Hotspur FC.
