England strikers confident of Serbian success
Nugent thinks England will beat Serbia and progress
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Sunday, 17, Jun 2007 09:46
England under-21 strikers Leroy Lita and David Nugent are confident of achieving the result they need against Serbia to progress to the semi-finals of Euro 2007.
Both men were on the scoresheet against Italy but the Azzurri's comeback to claim a 2-2 draw in that game means England must beat Serbia to guarantee qualification.
Serbia top the group having won their opening two games and Lita says the opposition must not be underestimated.
Lita said: "We've obviously got a big game today. We need to win that to get through. We're going to go out there and give it our best shot.
"They are growing in confidence, they've won their first two games and they look a good team, it's going to be a tough game."
Nugent feels that the Serbs, who have already qualified, may choose to rest some players - a move which could benefit England.
He said: "They look good so far, they beat the Italians and looked really strong.
"The second game was a bit boring but they scored in the last minute which put them through. Hopefully now they'll rest a few key players and we can capitalise on that and win the game."
The Preston front man put England's tired second-half performance against the Italians on Thursday down to the hot conditions inside the stadium which had its roof closed.
Meanwhile Under-21 boss Stuart Pearce says he would welcome the chance to take charge of the side on a full-time basis.
Pearce was sacked as Manchester City manager at the end of last season, three months after accepting the Under-21 role on a part-time basis.