Sports Mole reviews Monday’s UEFA Nations League match between Serbia and Denmark, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Serbia and Denmark are set to meet on Monday evening in Leskovac, seeking a place in the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
With Spain winning by a wide margin, second place in Group D in League A is still within reach: Denmark will qualify if they avoid defeat, but their hosts can snatch second place if they win.
Preview the match
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After sharing two late goals with Switzerland on Friday evening, Serbia sit third in Group D with one game remaining, meaning their UEFA Nations League fate is in their own hands as they seek their first ever entry into the knockout stage.
By scoring from a counterattack in the 88th minute, Alexa Terzic completed a quick counterattack, as the Eagles defeated their Swiss counterpart and strengthened their hopes of catching up with second-placed Denmark on the final day.
After taking four points from Switzerland and just one from Spain – plus a 2-0 defeat to Denmark – the five-point tally leaves Serbia two points behind Monday’s visitors.
Given the abundance of established goalscorers in his squad, Dragan Stojkovic would certainly be concerned about scoring just three goals in five group matches so far.
So, Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic and all-time top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic may be feeling the pressure ahead of a must-win final, as a loss would also lead to a relegation play-off.
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After losing to Spain for the second time in just over a month, Denmark’s 2-1 defeat in Copenhagen meant they now had to prevent Serbia from winning again.
Having held their rivals to a goalless draw at Euro 2024, then beat them 2-0 in September, the Danes may have a slight psychological advantage – even though the third part of the treble will be played on Serbian soil.
Former Anderlecht coach and Brentford assistant Brian Rimmer may have suffered a setback in his first match as national team coach, but his side remain second in Group D and are now 90 minutes away from reaching the new UEFA Nations League quarter-finals.
Including Gustav Isaksen’s strike against Spain on Friday night, Denmark have scored more than twice as many goals as their most recent rival, to whom they last lost almost 10 years ago.
Since then, they have won three of four matches against Serbia without conceding a goal, and Remer will be determined to extend that trend at the compact Dubotika Stadium, which seats around 8,000 fans – and being spared the trip to Belgrade could be a blessing.
Serbian Nations League format:
Serbia lineup (all competitions):
Danish Nations League format:
Denmark model (all competitions):
Team news
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Typically shaped in a 3-4-1-2, Serbia should pair captain Aleksandar Mitrovic – who is seeking his 60th international goal and has scored regularly for Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal – with Dusan Vlahovic up front. Milan striker Luka Jovic suffers from a hernia problem.
Dragan Stojkovic dropped another Saudi star, Sergej Milinković-Savic, this month, while his brother, goalkeeper Vanja Milinković-Savic, withdrew after being selected.
The latter’s Torino teammate Ivan Ilicic is unavailable due to a knee injury, so Nemanja Godelli and Nemanja Maksimovic are the favorites to start in central midfield.
Meanwhile, new Denmark coach Brian Remer will take charge of his first away game on Monday and has several big surprises to make: most notably, Rasmus Hoglund fired in another goal against Spain and has only scored twice for Manchester United this season.
Kasper Dolberg and Josef Poulsen are also in contention to lead the line, while Andreas Skov Olsen, Gustav Isaksen and Patrick Dorjo all came off the bench on Friday and could bolster the Danish attack.
Dinamo Sporting Lisbon captain Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg is set to be joined by Morten Hjulmand in the engine room, with Christian Eriksen perhaps taking on a more advanced role.
Possible Serbia lineup:
Petrovic; Stojic, Milinković, Pavlović; Nedeljković, Maksimović, Godelli, Terzic; Samardzic; Vlahović, Mitrović
Denmark starting lineup:
Schmeichel. Bah, Andersen, Vestergaard, Christiansen; Hjulmand, Hogberg; Skov Olsen, Eriksen, Dorjo; Hoglund
We say: Serbia 1-1 Denmark
Denmark could draw with one of the lowest-scoring teams in League One, securing their place in the last eight of the UEFA Nations League.
Serbia will rarely be able to press in the final third and will have modest support from their successor in Leskovac, who is far less dangerous than Maracanã Belgrade.
To analyze data on most likely scores, scores and more for this match, please click here.
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