Stankovic Will Run Serbia's Midfield Come This Summer's World Cup.

Serbia, who have been nicknamed The White Eagles by their fans, will be Germany’s fiercest opponents in the group stage of this summer’s upcoming World Cup.

Serbia’s qualification was a great success and a bit of a shock as well. Their qualification group consisted of France, who reached the final in 2006, Austria, Lithuania, Romania, and the Faroe Islands. Many predicted Romania would come second in the group to France, but it certainly did not turn out that way. Out of a possible 30 points, Romania grabbed a shockingly low 12.

As it turned out, Serbia finished top of the group with an incredibly impressive 22 points, just one ahead of second-placed France. While France managed to beat Serbia during the qualification campaign, a shock loss 3-1 loss against Austria, and two draws against Romania and one against Serbia meant the French would have to settle for second best.

Serbia, who boast a side full of physical players, will look to use their strength to their advantage against a German side who are now quite devoid of a physical presense. The loss of Michael Ballack, Simon Rolfes, Christian Traesch, and Torsten Frings means the Germans may have a hard time dealing with the Serbian punch in the middle of the park.

Serbia’s national side will also be full of recognizable faces, with the likes of Chelsea’s Branislav Ivanovic, Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic, and Inter’s Dejan Stankovic. But the quality doesn’t stop there.

A Serbian XI will probably look something like this:

Stojkovic – Ivanovic, Vidic, Subotic, Kolarov – Krasic, Stankovic, Kuzmanovic, Jovanovic – Pantelic, Zigic

It is easier now, then, when it is all laid on paper, to appreciate how strong this Serbia team really is. They will pose an aerial threat in the form of Zigic, who stands at around 6 and a half feet, they will threaten down the wings with the pace of Krasic and Jovanovic, and they will find defense-splitting passes with the creativity of Stankovic.

Although the sight of Serbia may put many on edge, they have been on quite woeful form leading into the World Cup. With a friendly loss against New Zealand and a drab draw against Poland, Serbia certainly have not looked good recently. Still, though, once that tournament starts a new energy will most likely flow through the side.

Serbia will be Germany’s greatest test in the group stage, but Die Mannschaft will do their best to shoot these White Eagles down.