England and Thomas Tuchel warned of 'trump cards' Serbia are ready to deploy

Serbia boss Dragan Stojkovic has warned England that they will encounter the battle of their lives in their World Cup qualifier. Stojkovic maintains his squad won't be overawed by England's star-studded lineup and insists they possess equal entitlement to victory as their rivals.

Stojkovic said: "Why wouldn't they win? Is it forbidden? As far as I know, it's not. They have the same goal, they're coming to win. It's going to be a fight, a tough match. Anything can happen in 90 minutes. We'll prepare the game, we'll see if it's enough. I'm not afraid, I don't care who the opponent is. We have our trump cards, we'll give it our all.

"The team will be the one we think can give the most. There are also five substitutions, the game lasts a long time. We will see. On the one hand, England is not Latvia or Andorra. They are a team among the best. I will not say the best, so as not to offend Spain and France. We will do our best to play well. Every throw-in, corner and foul is extremely important. There is no forgiveness here. It has to be explosive on the field."

However, Stojkovic reveals they won't deploy man-to-man marking on England's skipper and leading goalscorer Harry Kane - though they'll be prepared for his threat.

He added: "Harry Kane is one of the best strikers. I don't think he will have strict marking. He will come into the zone where someone will wait for him."

The head coach acknowledged that his squad faces an additional hurdle. Their star striker, former Fulham centre forward Aleksandar Mitrovic, has been struggling for game time and top-level competition at Al-Rayyan in Qatar.

Stojkovic further stated: "We have a problem with the minutes played by our players in the clubs. It's not just Mitrovic. There are other players. Whether Mitrovic will start or not, we'll see. We have training today, then a whole day tomorrow. We'll make that decision."

However, the Serbia boss also issued a warning to Nottingham Forest, suggesting they may find it difficult to retain centre-half Nikola Milenkovic for much longer.

He commented: "He shows leadership, sacrifice, professionalism. You love fighters, and Nikola is a formidable fighter who does not give up.

"It will be difficult (for Forest) to keep him next season. Bigger and richer clubs will be looking for him. I am happy to have such a player. The fans in Serbia respect him and appreciate what he does for the national team."

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Serbian supporters have been cautioned that their behaviour could jeopardise their country's World Cup chances.

Branko Radujko, the general secretary of the Serbian FA, has reminded fans of their "great responsibility" to conduct themselves appropriately during their World Cup qualifier against England.

Serbia is already facing a partial stadium closure for the England match as a penalty for racist behaviour during their encounter with Andorra in June.

UEFA also probed Serbian supporters following accusations of racist behaviour during last summer's European Championship encounter with England. Additionally, in 2007 and 2012, England's Under-21 squad faced racial abuse when competing against Serbia.

Radujko voiced concerns that if Serbia's infamous supporters - their FA has been penalised a combined £600,000 over the past five years - cause trouble once more, they will be forced to face Albania without spectators, potentially costing them qualification.

Radujko stated: "In addition to the spectacle we expect on the pitch, let me draw attention to something just as important: behaviour of all of us in the stands. This match of truth also carries great responsibility.

"We are still under special monitoring of UEFA. Every inappropriate reaction, insult or incident could cost us dearly on our path to the USA, Mexico and Canada, including the possibility of having to play a decisive match with Albania behind closed doors.

"That is the reason I sincerely and seriously call on you: let us cheer from the heart but let it be fair. We can be loud but dignified. Let our support be a source of strength, not a risk for the national team.

"I believe we will show that Serbia has a team, a heart and the strength to fight for a place at the world's greatest football stage. Football was born in England, but Belgrade must be the place where the game gets a new emotion on September 9.

"This is our chance to be united, to remind ourselves why we love football and how much it means when the whole nation breathes as one. This is the match for points, but also for pride.

"Let Belgrade send a message to the world on September 9: a message of Serbia strength, unity and love for football."

England are anticipating 2,500 supporters will make the journey for the fixture, with the English FA establishing a dedicated hotline for reporting any hooliganism or abuse within the 51,000-capacity venue.