Serbia – Spain

Serbia is capable of not losing to experimental Spain

In the central match of Thursday's Nations League, the Serbian national team will take on Spain at home. "The Red Furies are the reigning European and Nations League champions. De la Fuente's team defeated Croatia in the last final. The Spaniards are now among the main favourites. In the group, the teams will also have to play against Switzerland and Denmark. A very difficult quartet. Spain will probably use a less than optimal squad. After all, the match will take place away, and the players are objectively tired from the busy schedule. The Nations League is definitely not a priority at this stage of the season. It is important that in this draw, two teams will get out of the group in the A-League. That is, we can afford to make a lot more mistakes in the course of the tournament. The squad for the match against Serbia is not globally different from Euro 2024, but there are still a few spot changes. De la Fuente has called up Valencia midfielder Pepela, there is room for Celta defender Oscar Mingesa, in attack the talent of Jeremy Pino will get a new chance. Obviously, the squad will not match the European Championship final. The Serbian national team earned promotion to the A-League by winning their quartet in the last draw: the team managed to beat Norway, Slovenia and Sweden. After their success in a difficult campaign, Dragan Stojkovic's men were expected to make a breakthrough at Euro 2024, but they failed once again: two points, one goal and a primitive game, despite a host of stars in the squad. The leadership of Serbian football decided not to change course. Stojkovic remained the head coach. The specialist was given another chance, given a certain stability at least in the Nations League and qualification matches. There are a few important changes in the national team. This time captain and all-time top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic has not been called up, Dusan Tadic has finished his career, veterans Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Nemanja Gudel are absent. The team seems to be on a course to rejuvenate the squad. Milan forward Luka Jovic becomes the main striker. Only one player over the age of 30 is third goalkeeper Aleksandra Jovanovic. Serbia is starting to build a new team with an eye on the 2026 World Cup. Obviously, the hosts will have no problem with motivation. Young and hungry for victories, the squad will try to maximise their performance against the formidable European champions. Spain are given odds of 1.60, but it is doubtful that there will be a big advantage for one of the teams. For the Red Fury, the match is not so important, and the players are satiated with their recent achievements. The experimental squad of the visitors may not be able to cope with the direct pressure of their opponents. Even without their age stars, Serbia have a very promising squad, with a core of players from Europe's top leagues.