Serbia will be without key defenders ahead of the match in Zurich, but can hope for the return of a key striker.
15.11.2024, 05:01
15.11.2024, 06:39
SDA
The Serbian national team faces a challenge as it will be without key defenders for the upcoming match in Zurich. Strahinja Erakovic and Strahinja Pavlovic, who were suspended in the last match against Spain, will be missing in defense. Erakovic received his second yellow card, while Pavlovic was sent off with a red card. Only Nikola Milenkovic remains from the original back three, which puts coach Dragan Stojkovic in a similar position to his Swiss colleague Murat Yakin, who is also struggling with defensive problems.
In addition, regular Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic is out due to hip problems. Rajkovic, who saved a penalty from Breel Embolo in October, will be sorely missed as a result of this injury.
Despite these setbacks, there is also positive news: Dusan Vlahovic is returning to the team. The Juventus striker had taken a break in September and October for personal reasons, which led to speculation about tensions with coach Stojkovic. These rumors were intensified by his late substitution in the last European Championship group game, which ended goalless and saw Serbia eliminated. It remains to be seen whether Vlahovic will be in the starting eleven immediately after his time out. However, with 13 goals in 30 international matches, he is a beacon of hope for the Serbian offense, even if he has not always been able to convince at major tournaments.
While the focus is on Vlahovic, Aleksandar Mitrovic should not be overlooked. With 59 goals in 96 international matches, he is Serbia's record goalscorer. His goalscoring prowess is particularly well known in Switzerland, where he has scored in all three matches with Switzerland, most recently with an impressive flick to make it 2-0 in Leskovac. Nevertheless, Serbia have failed to score in five of their last seven matches, which calls into question the efficiency of their offense.
Both teams, Serbia and Switzerland, face similar challenges: a weakened defense and a recently inefficient offense. Coaches Yakin and Stojkovic will have to make the right tactical decisions to lead their teams to success.
