UEFA Nations League: Serbia and Switzerland Fight to Get Out of the Cellar

Serbia vs Switzerland

Two teams on the bottom of UEFA Nations League A Group 4 will face off at the Dubocica Stadium in Leskovac, as Serbia will host Switzerland on Friday evening.

Serbia and Switzerland have had a poor run of UEFA Nations League 2024 results to start their campaign, with only one point between these two sides after the first two matchdays. But fortunately for them, one can break out of their slump soon.

Denmark are the surprise group topnotchers with two consecutive wins, while defending champions Spain are right behind them with one win and one draw.

A win could change everything for Serbia and Switzerland because it’ll give them a sliver of hope, and sometimes that is all you need.

Which team will finally get their first win this weekend? Learn more about these two nations by reading today’s SBOTOP match preview.

 

Talking Points

Will Mitrovic solve Serbia’s attacking woes?

Dragan Stojkovic’s stint with the Serbian national team has been rocky, with four wins, seven losses, and five draws in their last 16 matches across all competitions.

The Orlovi didn’t win a single match during Euro 2024, although they claimed one point in a goalless draw with Spain in their UEFA Nations League opener last month.

Serbia’s lack of goals is the main culprit for their lacklustre form. They have failed to score in three consecutive matches for the first time since 2012.

A big reason they’re struggling in the final third is the untimely absences of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic, their best strikers.

Mitrovic had a long period on the sidelines earlier this year due to a hamstring injury, but he’s expected to return with the national team because he has regained his form, scoring nine league goals to lead the Saudi Pro League Golden Boot race.

Meanwhile, Vlahovic’s return to the Orlovi will be delayed since he is reportedly dealing with family problems.

The rest of the Serbian squad essentially looks the same as what they had in last month’s international break, although we would’ve preferred to have the in-form Vanja Milinkovic-Savic as their first-choice goalkeeper.

 

Switzerland get huge midfield/backline boost

Switzerland badly missed Granit Xhaka and Nico Elvedi during their 4-1 capitulation against Spain last time out, so their impending returns after serving their suspensions are a huge positive for head coach Murat Yakin.

Xhaka will likely take Denis Zakaria’s starting spot in midfield, while Elvedi will take over from Gregory Wuthrich in the team’s three-man backline.

Ruben Vargas (ankle), Denis Zakaria (knee), and Becir Omeragic (knee), are ruled out through injuries, while Zeki Amdouni, who scored against Spain, could retain his place in attack alongside Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye or Kwadwo Duah.

Before their barren run in this year’s UEFA Nations League, the Rossocrociati were on an eight-game undefeated streak in all competitions before they lost on penalties to England during the Euro 2024 quarter-finals.

Switzerland have also only won one of their last five international away matches, and they can ill-afford to drop more points in their next few games.

 

History

Friday marks the third-ever meeting between Serbia and Switzerland. The last time these two teams met was in the group stages of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups.

Switzerland won both games 2-1 (2018) and 3-2 (2022), which helped them advance to the knockout stage. The Rossocrociati suffered back-to-back Round of 16 exits at the hands of Sweden and Portugal.

Serbia are competing in the UEFA Nations League A for the first time this year after previously competing in Leagues C (2018-19) and B (2020-21 and 2022-23).

Switzerland have always been in the UEFA Nations League A, and their best finish was P4 in the inaugural edition during 2018-19, losing 3-1 to eventual champions Portugal in the semi-finals.

 

Betting Tip

The UEFA Nations League 2024 odds predict a tight match between Serbia and Switzerland. Because they’re playing at home, Serbia have the slight advantage at 2.44, while Switzerland aren’t far behind at 2.74, and a draw is at 3.05 in the 1X2 market.

Given Serbia and Switzerland’s troubles finding the back of the net in this competition, it’s fair to say we don’t expect too many goals from this fixture, despite the high-scoring nature of their previous encounters.

So, other than our recommended bet above, you can also go for alternatives like Under 2.50 at 2.26, Under 2.00 at 2.25, or Total Goals 0-1 at 2.62, while the best-case scenario scoring-wise is Total Goals 2-3 at 1.97.

   

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