Serbia is still in contention for promotion to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League. They welcome Sweden, also in Group 4, to Belgrade on Saturday with kickoff at 9:45 pm.
Serbia has a chance to top their Nations League group and qualify for the European Championship in 2020, after reaching the semi-finals of this summer’s tournament.
However, they remain level on points with Norway, who they play at home on 30 August and away on 5 September.
Both sides won their opening match before drawing their second fixture against Slovenia and Sweden, respectively.
While it appears that only a minor swing in goal difference could determine who tops the group, Serbia will be confident of gaining all three points, given they beat Slovenia 4-1 in Ljubljana before thrashing Sweden 4-0 at home.
Despite the challenge of a tough draw in World Cup qualification, many pundits predicted that Sweden would prevail in Group 4 before a ball was kicked.
However, they followed an opening-day win over Slovenia with three straight losses – one at home to Saturday’s opponents; the other pair versus their close Nordic rivals Norway.
Leaving a bitter taste among the Swedish fans, twice in the space of seven days in June, their national team suffered defeat at the hands of Norway: 2-1 at home and 3-2 away.
Serbia vs. Sweden Head to Head
Both sides have three games against each other, with hosts taking one win while visitors with two wins. Here is a look at their previous encounters:
Home
- Slovenia 2-2 Serbia
- Sweden 0-1 Serbia
- Serbia 4-1 Slovenia
- Serbia 0-1 Norway
Away
- Norwich 3-2 Sweden
- Sweden 0-1 Serbia
- Sweden 1-2 Serbia
- Slovenia 0-2 Sweden
Serbia Team News
Serbia has named an experienced squad to conclude their Nations League campaign, despite being deprived of Nikola Milenkovic. The Fiorentina defender is injured, but Aleksa Terzic will contend with Juventus winger Filip Kostic to start on the left flank. Darko Lazovic could feature on the right.
Sweden Team News
Meanwhile, Sweden will be without traveling fans due to the Swedish Football Association’s decision not to sell their available tickets – they will be without Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak for their upcoming games this month. The 23-year-old has been ruled out of both games.
Prediction and odds
Sweden is going through a transitional period and is searching for its identity. Several key players are short of playing time at the club level too.
- Home Win
- Goals Under 2.5
- First Half: 0-0
