BELGRADE (Reuters) – Lacking fan support and under pressure from the media after a poor start to Serbia’s World Cup qualifying campaign, the Balkan country’s coach Sinisa Mihajlovic appears set to step down in October.

Mihajlovic vowed to qualify for next year’s finals in Brazil when he took over last May but having collected only seven points from the opening six games in Group A, nine less than leaders Belgium and Croatia, the 44-year old acknowledged Serbia had only a theoretical chance of advancing.

BELGRADE, April 2 (Reuters) – Lacking fan support and under pressure from the media after a poor start to Serbia’s World Cup qualifying campaign, the Balkan country’s coach Sinisa Mihajlovic appears set to step down in October.

Mihajlovic vowed to qualify for next year’s finals in Brazil when he took over last May but having collected only seven points from the opening six games in Group A, nine less than leaders Belgium and Croatia, the 44-year old acknowledged Serbia had only a theoretical chance of advancing.

BELGRADE (Reuters) – Former Chicago Bulls forward Andres Nocioni produced a vintage performance to keep Caja Laboral Vitoria in the hunt for a berth in the Euroleague playoffs after a rollercoaster 86-82 win at Khimki Moscow on Friday.

The competition’s six-time winners Panathinaikos Athens reached the last eight with a match to spare in the second group stage after an 82-60 rout of Germany’s Bamberg and holders Olympiakos Piraeus, their bitter cross-town rivals, stayed on course with a 78-73 success at Fenerbahce.

ZAGREB (Reuters) – Croatia’s veteran striker Ivica Olic scored and set up another goal to help secure a 2-0 win over bitter Balkan rivals Serbia in an emotional Group A 2014 World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Victory lifted the Croatians to the top of the group on 13 points from five games, three more than Belgium who are away to Macedonia later on Friday.

ZAGREB, March 22 (Reuters) – Croatia’s veteran striker Ivica Olic scored and set up another goal to help secure a 2-0 win over bitter Balkan rivals Serbia in an emotional Group A 2014 World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Victory lifted the Croatians to the top of the group on 13 points from five games, three more than Belgium who are away to Macedonia later on Friday.

ZAGREB (Reuters) – Croatia coach Igor Stimac and Serbian counterpart Sinisa Mihajlovic have warned their players to refrain from dissent and tough tackling when the bitter Balkan rivals meet in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Having described Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir as an outstanding official, but one happy to brandish yellow and red cards for any kind of misdemeanour, Stimac said his players must keep cool heads and their studs down in the Group A clash in Zagreb.

ZAGREB, March 21 (Reuters) – Croatia coach Igor Stimac and Serbian counterpart Sinisa Mihajlovic have warned their players to refrain from dissent and tough tackling when the bitter Balkan rivals meet in a 2014 World Cup qualifier on Friday.

Having described Turkish referee Cuneyt Cakir as an outstanding official, but one happy to brandish yellow and red cards for any kind of misdemeanour, Stimac said his players must keep cool heads and their studs down in the Group A clash in Zagreb.

ZAGREB, March 20 (Reuters) – With the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil looming, local bragging rights between Croatia and Serbia will be at stake when the bitter Balkan rivals meet in a potentially explosive Group A qualifier on Friday.

Having long battled problems with hooliganism and racism, both nations want the match, billed as epic and historic by the media, to be trouble-free as much as they crave a win that would boost their pride and their chances of reaching next year’s tournament.

BELGRADE, March 19 (Reuters) – Serbia’s Filip Djordjevic has no stage fright ahead of the biggest match of his career when the Balkan nation visit their bitter regional rivals Croatia in a World Cup Group A qualifier on Friday, the 25-year-old striker told Reuters in an interview.

Djordjevic, who plays for French second division side Nantes, is expected to lead the attack in Serbia’s 4-2-3-1 formation in the cauldron of Dinamo Zagreb’s Maksimir stadium, where the home fans are likely to create a hostile atmosphere.

BELGRADE, March 19 (Reuters) – Ricardo Sa Pinto is confident he can turn around Red Star Belgrade’s fortunes after taking over from Aleksandar Jankovic at the 1991 European Cup winners, the former Portugal forward said on Tuesday.

Sa Pinto agreed a 15-month contract with Red Star, who parted company with Jankovic by mutual consent on Monday after Sunday’s 2-1 defeat at Radnicki Nis left them 11 points behind champions and league leaders Partizan Belgrade.