Derby date excites Okuka

Dragomir Okuka is planning to lead Serbia and Montenegro to the 2006 UEFA European Under-21 Championship by defeating neighbours Croatia over two legs.

Silver medalists
Runners-up in the 2004 edition and a real force at this level, the Serbo-Montenegrins are braced for a testing tie against a side who play a similar, open game. "It's easy to deduce that we were from the same footballing school," Okuka told uefa.com. "My opposite number, Slaven Bilić, was taught the same way as me so of course our styles derive from a similar source, but we also use new footballing ideas. I am expecting good football and our qualification. I am optimistic, not just about this match, as that's my personal philosophy."

Impressive credentials
Okuka - the former FK Velež midfielder who earned his coaching spurs by guiding FK Obilić to the Serbo-Montenegrin title in 1998 - has seen what his side are capable of since replacing Miodrag Kosanovic, and therefore has good reason to be optimistic. "I really believe in my team," he said. "They can do anything. Our players are in great form, most of them have played about 20 competitive European matches and they are ready. And on Saturday night we will play in front of our own supporters and they will be our 12th player."

Bumper crowd
With around 40,000 supporters expected at the FK Crvena Zvezda stadium, Okuka is keen to establish a resounding first-leg lead ahead of the trip to Velika Gorica next Tuesday. However, he hopes that the political differences between the two nations will not overshadow the match. "Our nations have been through a very hard period," said the coach. "I know that we, as football teams, only want to think about football, but I cannot speak for our supporters. One day everything will be better and all we will have to worry about is what happens on the pitch."

Extra incentive
Meanwhile, if the home team were in need of any extra incentive to perform, they have been offered a bonus of €3,000 each by the Football Association of Serbia and Montenegro if they reach the finals. Okuka, though, insists that pride - and not hard cash - is his players' main motivation: "We have played a similar way for the last few years and are just carrying on in the vain of the generation before. My team is strong in attack, but I am not concerned about our defence. Yes, our mentality is to get in front, but we know we must keep an eye on our own net."