Good travellers Montenegro eye famous giant-killing at Wembley
MONTENEGRO manager Branko Brnovic has warned England that his team are on the brink of springing one of the great qualifying shocks and reaching the country’s first ever World Cup.
Brnovic’s team can put a huge dent in English hopes of reaching next summer’s finals in Brazil by securing a draw or a win at Wembley in Friday’s penultimate round of Group H fixtures.
The tiny country, whose population of 620,000 is roughly the same as that of Bristol and its surrounding area, have garnered 10 points of their 15 away from home and Brnovic is backing them to continue that trend and upset the odds against Roy Hodgson’s side, despite a host of injuries.
“I think we can do it because we have the quality and I also think that this team plays much better away than home,” he said.
“Thus, I believe that players do not need any special motivation for such games, because to play against the great England team at Wembley is something that every player dreams about, especially players from Montenegro.
“It’s something that no-one ever dreamed to be possible, that such a small country could qualify for a World Cup. I believe this dream is on the verge of coming true, but we need to do the two matches properly to turn this dream into a reality.”
Montenegro are just one point behind England, who they held to a 1-1 draw in Podgorica earlier this year, with two games remaining.
Victory in London would almost certainly see them finish ahead of Hodgson’s team, while Ukraine, also on 15 points, could yet top both of their rivals. The winner qualifies automatically while the runner-up faces a play-off against another European nation.