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Chelsea defender Ivanovic happy more Serbs playing in Premier League

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic is delighted with the growing Serbian presence in the Premier League.

Serbia boast six international players at top-flight clubs, Ivanovic and Chelsea team-mate Nemanja Matic, Aleksandar Kolarov and Matija Nastasic of Manchester City, Liverpool forward Lazar Markovic and Southampton winger Dusan Tadic.

"It is a decisive moment for Serbian football and with more teams than ever participating in the European championship, nothing less than a berth in the finals will do," he said.

"It is good that six players who represent the national team's backbone ply their trade in the Premier League but it also adds pressure to prove that we can be as successful at international level.

"We have been too inconsistent in the past and still have a lot to learn as a group. There is room for improvement."

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