Still contending for promotion to the top tier of the UEFA Nations League, Serbia welcome League B Group 4 rivals Sweden to Belgrade on Saturday.

With two rounds remaining, the World Cup finalists are three points adrift of leaders Norway, while their visitors are occupied with avoiding demotion to League C.

Match preview

© Reuters

Though they failed to hold onto a two-goal lead and win their third successive Nations League fixture last time out, Serbia remain well placed to overhaul fellow contenders for promotion, Norway, coming into their final two games.

The Eagles had to settle for a 2-2 draw in Ljubljana, as they let maximum points slip against Slovenia in June, but had already beaten their hosts 4-1 in the reverse fixture before upsetting Sweden in Stockholm.

Only a 1-0 loss to the Norwegians separates them from top spot, but Dragan Stojkovic's side have already accumulated one more point than in their previous Nations League campaign, in which they avoided relegation just by virtue of goal difference.

Indeed, their progress in Europe's newest international competition reflects a wider trend, as Serbia are set to feature at another global finals at the end of the year.

After finishing clear of group favourites Portugal to clinch automatic qualification with a last-day victory - secured in the most dramatic fashion, through Aleksandar Mitrovic's 90th-minute winner - the Serbs entered the current Nations League campaign brimful of confidence.

Now with one eye on the looming World Cup, Stojkovic's squad will be keen to impress in their final home fixture and secure a seat on the plane to Qatar.

© Reuters

Despite a challenging draw, and the prospect of a hangover from failure in World Cup qualification, Sweden were most pundits' favourites to prevail in Group 4 before a ball was kicked.

However, they followed an opening-day win over outsiders Slovenia with three straight losses - one at home to Saturday's opponents; the other pair versus their close Nordic rivals.

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.

Janne Andersson's side - who were eliminated in the playoff finals for Qatar 2022 by Poland - therefore sit too far adrift to contest top spot, and instead must at least match Slovenia's points tally in the final two fixtures to escape a demoralising demotion to Europe's third tier.

Having been relegated from League A less than two years ago, such a fate would further fuel the anguish of nation that has grown accustomed to mixing it with the top teams - including reaching the quarter-finals of Russia 2018. There is some pressure, therefore, to pick up a positive result before hosting the Slovenes on Tuesday.

Team News

© Reuters

Though Fiorentina's Nikola Milenkovic will be absent from the back three on Saturday, due to injury, Serbia have named an experienced squad for the conclusion to their Nations League campaign.

Milenkovic's clubmate Aleksa Terzic will contend with Juventus winger Filip Kostic to start on the left flank, while another of 11 Italy-based players, Darko Lazovic, could feature on the right.

Dragan Stojkovic has struggled to settle on a regular goalkeeper, but it now appears to be a straight fight between Torino stopper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic and Marko Dmitrovic of Sevilla to start as the hosts' last line of defence.

The Eagles are particularly well stocked in midfield, with Sergej Milinkovic-Savic playing an integral role in supporting captain Dusan Tadic and 46-goal record scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic up front. Dusan Vlahovic and Luka Jovic are available on the bench.

Meanwhile, Sweden - who will be without the support of travelling fans due to their SvFF's decision not to put their tickets on sale - will be without Newcastle United striker Alexander Isak following his withdrawal from the squad in midweek. The 23-year-old has been ruled out of both games this month.

Therefore, Coventry City's Viktor Gyokeres has stepped up the pecking order and could even start, as the visitors revert to their long-held favourite formation: 4-4-2.

Following a failed experiment with a three-man front line during the summer, coach Janne Andersson has declared his intention to go back to basics, and the return of midfield duo Mattias Svanberg and Kristoffer Olsson from suspension is quite timely in that regard.

At the back, the meteoric rise of young Isak Hien could culminate in making his international debut this week: only in April did he first start in the Swedish Allsvenskan, before later establishing himself alongside Serbia's Lazovic at Hellas Verona. As Filip Helander, Carl Starfelt and Alexander Milosevic are all unavailable, Hien may now find himself featuring at centre-back in Belgrade.

Serbia possible starting lineup:
V. Milinkovic-Savic; Pavlovic, Veljkovic, S. Mitrovic; Lazovic, Lukic, Gudelj, Kostic; S. Milinkovic-Savic, Tadic; A. Mitrovic

Sweden possible starting lineup:
Olsen; Andersson, Lindelof, Hien, Augustinsson; Kulusevski, Olsson, Svanberg, Forsberg; Claesson, Gyokeres

We say: Serbia 1-0 Sweden

Sweden are going through a transitional phase, and are switching back to tried-and-trusted methods in search of their identity - several key players remain short of playing time at club level too. Therefore, Serbia can capitalise by dictating possession and scoring at least once through several attacking options.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.

Previews by email