JOHANNESBURG // Teams that cope in high-pressure situations tend to emerge victorious on the given day. And Radomir Antic, the head coach of Serbia, is fully confident that his side of "champions" will remain unfazed today when they begin their World Cup campaign against Ghana, the African giants.
Today's clash in Pretoria will be Serbia's first World Cup outing as an independent nation and Antic is aware that such an historical occasion puts his players under intense mental strain. But he is adamant his squad is ready.
Players such as Nemanja Vidic, the Manchester United defender, and Dejan Stankovic, of Inter Milan, have both won the Champions League, while Branislav Ivanovic, the full-back, lifted the English Premier League trophy with Chelsea last season. "The beginning of the World Cup is when we think about many things - we fight against Ghana but also ourselves," said Antic.
"We have great ambitions and the first game is a game with huge psychological pressure, as always. We are here for the first time in the World Cup as an independent nation, [but] this makes us even more motivated and stronger.
"We are a team comprised of champions, players who know how to play under great pressure. Ever since I became coach, each year our players have managed to win 10 trophies, which means that my players know how to play well when they have to."
Unlike opponents Ghana - who have lost Michael Essien, their influential captain, to injury - Antic has a full squad at his disposal and Stankovic, his captain, says Serbia are ready to make history.
"It's going to be a historic match for Serb football," said Stankovic, who will become the first player to represent three different nations at the World Cup having played for Yugoslavia in 1998 and Serbia and Montenegro in 2006. "We will be very emotional."
Milovan Rajevac is the third Serb to coach Ghana in eight years and understands the importance of the occasion.
But the 56-year-old says that his loyalty is firmly with the Africans and he is in no mood for sentiment.
"There are some suggestions that I may not be fully committed to beating Serbia. That is complete nonsense," Rajevac said.
"I can understand the passion, but they should think again because I am not here to give away matches."
Sulley Muntari, the Ghanaian midfielder who is Stankovic's teammate at Inter, has shaken off a thigh injury and is expected to start today's match at Loftus Versfeld Stadium, while Stephen Appiah will likely captain the side in the absence of Essien.
"Everyone is talking about Germany and Australia," said Appiah in reference to the two other teams which comprise Group D. "But I'm scared of Serbia because they are aggressive and technically good."
@Email:gmeenaghan@thenational.ae
The Buckingham Murders
Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu
Director: Hansal Mehta
Rating: 4 / 5
U19 WORLD CUP, WEST INDIES
UAE group fixtures (all in St Kitts)
- Saturday 15 January: UAE beat Canada by 49 runs
- Thursday 20 January: v England
- Saturday 22 January: v Bangladesh
UAE squad:
Alishan Sharafu (captain), Shival Bawa, Jash Giyanani, Sailles
Jaishankar, Nilansh Keswani, Aayan Khan, Punya Mehra, Ali Naseer, Ronak Panoly,
Dhruv Parashar, Vinayak Raghavan, Soorya Sathish, Aryansh Sharma, Adithya
Shetty, Kai Smith
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
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The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
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MATCH INFO
Europa League final
Who: Marseille v Atletico Madrid
Where: Parc OL, Lyon, France
When: Wednesday, 10.45pm kick off (UAE)
TV: BeIN Sports
