Serbia captain Branislav Ivanovic has admitted that his side are struggling for motivation ahead of tomorrow night's World Cup qualifier against Scotland.

Ivanovic led a Serbia side which lost 2-0 to fierce rivals Croatia last Friday in Zagreb.

A poor defensive display against Croatia has drawn strong criticism from the Serbian media, with Ivanovic, Aleksandr Kolarov and Matija Nastasic all coming under fire.

Ivanovic has admitted that his side need to regroup quickly and produce a positive performance against the struggling Scots in an effort to restore pride and confidence.

The Chelsea defender is quoted by The Scotsman as saying: "For us, psychologically, it's going to be more difficult to play against Scotland than it was here.

"We're back in our country where everyone will be disappointed in us, the media, supporters, everyone. It means more pressure for us but with this young squad we must show more character and quality on the pitch.

"Of course, it will be very difficult. We have to switch on quick and to think only about the game, which is very difficult at this moment to think only about Scotland. The game against Scotland is very important and will be a good test for us."

Gordon Strachan's side head to Belgrade still searching for their first win of the qualifying campaign.

Written by
Liam Power