Prediction: Sweden vs Serbia

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 43/20

Bookmaker: Unibet

Having achieved mixed results in the opening two rounds of the ongoing edition of the UEFA Nations League, Sweden and Serbia are set to meet in the third on Thursday at the Friends Arena in Stockholm.

Sweden

Sweden started the campaign well enough, beating Slovenia in Ljubljana as Emil Forsberg from the spot and Dejan Kulusevski set the score at 0-2.

However, they were brought back down at home by Norway, with Erling Haaland once again proving simply unstoppable. The new Manchester City striker scored twice to render Anthony Elanga’s late goal for the Swedes barely relevant, though his first strike came as a result of a much-disputed penalty call in the 20th minute. Janne Andersson’s men dominated that match with 66% of possession and 13 shots, but as the curtain went down on the defeat, that fact remained even less significant than Elanga’s goal.

Sweden had a fairy good campaign in the World Cup qualifications and they seemed at one point on course to finish top of Group B, ahead of favourites Spain. However, it all ended in a great disappointment as the shock defeat to Georgia, followed by the one to Spain, saw them drop to second place. They were thus consigned to the play-offs where they were taken out in the semifinals by Poland, which means we won’t be watching them in Qatar.

Team News

Andersson won’t be able to use Kulusevski this time. The Tottenham Hotspur winger picked up a yellow card in each of the previous two fixtures and is therefore suspended. Elanga should be the one to replace him after that late goal against Norway, but Robin Quaison will also be eyeing that spot on the teamsheet.

Manchester United defender Victor Lindelof is absent from the squad due to injury, and Celtic’s Carl Starfelt was taken off injured against Slovenia. Alexander Milosevic, of Serbian origin, should therefore partner Joakim Nilsson in the heart of defence.

Serbia

Unlike Sweden, Serbia will be playing at the World Cup in Qatar. They managed to overcome the favourites in Group A, Portugal, and finished three points ahead of Portugal, securing automatic qualification. The order of their results in this competition was also different to Sweden’s as they first lost 0-1 to Norway at home (yes, it was Haaland), before smashing Slovenia 4-1, also in Belgrade. Slovenia already appear to be destined for the bottom in this Nations League group, though there is, of course, a long way to go yet.

Fulham’s goal machine Aleksandar Mitrovic struck first, and even though Petar Stojanovic quickly restored some hope for the visitors, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luka Jovic and Nemanja Radonjic made sure the points stayed in Belgrade. The fact that goals come from all areas of this team is a big testament of how well former Red Star and Olympique Marseille attacking midfielder Dragan Stojkovic is doing as the head coach. Many in Serbia are saying that it’s been a long time since they had a team so dedicated and focused on tactical tasks.

Team News

Mitrovic is set to lead the attacking line for Serbia again, with Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic left out of the squad through injury. Depending on the formation Stojkovic goes with, Jovic could join Mitrovic upfront in a partnership, but for there is little doubt that captain Dusan Tadic will be close by to create chances and try perhaps to take a few himself.

At the back, Werder Bremen’s Milos Veljkovic could come in to replace Bochum’s Erhan Masovic, who got a bit of stick from low-rated press in Serbia for not signing the national anthem on his international debut.

Conclusion

On paper, this match appears set to be a contest between two teams of relatively equal quality, despite the difference in their fortunes in the World Cup qualifications. As such, it could naturally go either way and minor details could be decisive, but a draw would probably the most realistic outcome. Alternatively, both teams to score could be a good shout as well.

Verdict: Draw

Best odds: 43/20

Bookmaker: Unibet