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Chelsea pair get Serbia axe

Slobodan Rajkovic and Nemanja Matic were among six players to be axed from Serbia's World Cup squad.

Rajkovic and Matic among six to miss out on World Cup

Chelsea duo Slobodan Rajkovic and Nemanja Matic have been axed from Serbia's World Cup squad.

The pair were among six players to miss out as Serbia coach Radomir Antic cut his squad to 24 players.

Ajax attacker Miralem Sulejmani, PSV Eindhoven defender Jagos Vukovic, Partizan Belgrade midfielder Nemanja Tomic and Red Star Belgrade striker Dejan Lekic were the others to be axed.

But Chelsea team-mate Branislav Ivanovic has kept his place in the squad, as has star striker Nikola Zigic as the Serbians prepare to take on Germany, Ghana and Australia in Group D.

Antic has tipped Zigic to be one of the stars in South Africa, but the Valencia forward does not feel any extra pressure from this prediction.

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No burden

He said: "The coach's words are not a burden.

"It's good that Antic praised me and I will try to justify his confidence.

"I always give my best for Serbia and it will always be that way."

Revised Serbia squad: Vladimir Stojkovic (Wigan), Zeljko Brkic (Vojvodina), Bojan Isailovic (Zaglebie Lubin), Andjelko Djuricic (Leiria); Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea), Antonio Rukavina (1860 Munich), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United), Neven Subotic (Borussia Dortmund), Aleksandar Lukovic (Udinese), Ivan Obradovic (Real Zaragoza), Aleksandar Kolarov (Lazio); Dejan Stankovic (Inter Milan), Gojko Kacar (Hertha Berlin), Nenad Milijas (Wolves), Zdravko Kuzmanovic (Stuttgart), Radosav Petrovic (Partizan Belgrade), Milos Krasic (CSKA Moscow), Zoran Tosic (Manchester United), Milos Ninkovic (Dynamo Kiev), Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege); Nikola Zigic (Valencia), Marko Pantelic (Ajax), Danko Lazovic (Zenit St Petersburg), Dragan Mrdja (Vojvodina).

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