Ivanovic will come face to face with Arnautovic when Serbia hosts Austria in a World Cup qualifier in Belgrade on Sunday, and the 32-year-old does not need anyone to tell him who will be the visitor’s main attacking threat.
Although he only has one Premier League goal for a struggling Stoke side this term, Arnautovic netted twice in Austria’s 2-2 draw with Wales on Thursday and Ivanovic feels the former Werder Bremen man could play for a bigger club.
“I have the utmost respect for Arnautovic because he has matured in the last year and a half or two,” he told a media conference. “He has drawn a lot of attention here [in Serbia] because of his heritage [he has a Serbian father] and in footballing terms, he has perhaps improved beyond the quality of the club he plays for.
“We have to close him down and if we do, we have a good chance of keeping a clean sheet.”
