Friday, January 3, 2025

Prediction: Serbia vs Montenegro

Veselin Trajkovic in Free Soccer Predictions 16 Oct 2023

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Verdict: Total goals over 2.5

Best odds: 13/15

Bookmaker: BetUS

The match between Serbia and Montenegro, set to take place on Tuesday at the Rajko Mitic stadium in Belgrade, carries significant importance in their quest for a second-place finish in Group G.

Despite Serbia’s earlier 2-0 win in the competition, the dynamics may have shifted slightly due to their recent disappointing results, most notably the 2-1 defeat away to group leaders Hungary on Saturday. Montenegro will surely be motivated to try and turn the tide in this crucial battle.

Serbia

Serbia finds themselves in a precarious situation, where they cannot afford to drop any more points. Montenegro is hot on their heels, just two points behind and with a game in hand. A draw would not guarantee Serbia second place in the group.

In their previous match at the Ferenc Puskas Arena in Budapest, the Eagles were unlucky to lose, hitting the woodwork multiple times and missing clear-cut chances. In the 33rd minute, Strahinja Pavlovic cancelled out Barnabas Varga’s 20th-minute opener, but Roland Sallai scored a stunning winner for Hungary just one minute later.

Serbia’s defensive performance has been a concern, with no clean sheets in four consecutive matches. While they secured a home win against Lithuania in the qualifiers, their offensive performance at home versus away is not definitive – that was their only home victory in these qualifications so far. Serbia must be clinical in front of goal to secure a vital victory against Montenegro.

Team News

Serbia is likely to stick with their 3-4-3 formation, but some changes in personnel could be made.

Mijat Gacinovic, who didn’t have the best game in Budapest, might be replaced by Filip Djuricic. Also, captain Dusan Tadic, who was not in the starting lineup against Hungary, is expected to return to the starting XI.

Montenegro

Montenegro recently won a friendly against Lebanon, but their unbeaten status away from home in this qualifying campaign is what gives them confidence.

Even a draw in the upcoming match would keep them in the running for Euro 2024 qualification, especially as they’ve played one game less than Serbia.

They’ve demonstrated their resilience by maintaining their unbeaten run in their last two qualifiers, which included a win over Bulgaria despite playing with 10 men for a significant portion of the match and a draw in Lithuania after conceding a late goal.

Team News

Montenegro will be without Igor Vujacic, who was sent off for two bookable offenses against Bulgaria last month. It’s likely that Zarko Tomasevic will take his place in defense.

While Montenegro has shown defensive solidity, their offensive output has been lacking. They have one of the lowest goal tallies in Group G, and key players like Nikola Krstovic and Stevan Jovetic will need to step up to make a difference in the upcoming match against Serbia.

Conclusion

As has been said, there is no more space for Serbia to drop points, and the likes of Tadic and Aleksandar Mitrovic will simply have to find a way through the resolute Montenegrin defence. A narrow win for the hosts feels the likeliest outcome of this contest, but both sides are likely to find the back of the opposition net.

Verdict: Total goals over 2.5

Best odds: 13/15

Bookmaker: BetUS

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Veselin Trajkovic


Vesko is a football writer that likes to observe the game for what it is, focusing on teams, players and their roles, formations, tactics, rather than stats. He follows the English Premier League closely, Liverpool FC in particular. His articles have been published on seven different football blogs.

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