Serbia will look to bounce back after defeat to Hungary when they host Montenegro in Euro 2024 qualifying. The hosts entered Saturday’s game with a drastically different dynamic following their heartbreaking loss. The tide in this match might flip. Serbia won the previous meeting between the two teams by a fairly convincing score of 2-0 in March.
Preview (Serbia vs. Montenegro)
As Montenegro is only two points behind the hosts and has played one fewer game, the hosts can no longer afford to drop points. Therefore, even a draw would not ensure Serbia second place in the group rankings. Dragan Stojkovic’s team dominated for significant stretches of the game. They hit the woodwork three times and failed to score on three of their four significant scoring chances. They were extremely unlucky not to at least draw with Hungary. Serbia lost twice to Hungary in the 2024 Euro qualifiers. The first time in Belgrade by the same score more than a month prior.
Despite the Eagles’ missed opportunities against Hungary, their defensive play is perhaps more concerning since they have gone four games without recording a single clean sheet. In the Euro 2024 qualifying matches, Serbia’s lone victory at home came against Lithuania in the inaugural game. It is consequently challenging to determine whether the team performs offensively better at home. They cannot afford to waste as many open opportunities on Tuesday night as they did against Hungary. On the other side, Montenegro missed the qualifying match over the weekend.
When it comes to Euro qualification, a friendly victory means very little to nothing. Miodrag Radulovic’s team can enter this match quite confidently. Even a tie would not prevent them from qualifying for Euro 2024. They have played one fewer game than Serbia. They managed to win both of their most recent qualifying matches, 2-1 over Bulgaria despite having to play with 10 men for 30 minutes of the second half, and 2-2 in Lithuania despite giving up a goal in stoppage time. In this round of qualifying, Montenegro is still undefeated away from home, and it will make every effort on Tuesday night to keep that record.
Team News
Although it is anticipated that Serbia will maintain its 3-4-3 configuration, it would not be surprising if Stojkovic made a few personnel changes. The 34-year-old is a crucial component of Serbia’s offense and is anticipated to reclaim his starting XI spot. Igor Vujacic was dismissed for two bookable offenses against Bulgaria last month. He will be missed by Montenegro, thus Zarko Tomasevic is most likely to step in at center back.
They appear to be a strong enough defensive unit to contain this Serbian team even without Vujacic, but when we concentrate on Montenegro’s offense, things get much more worrisome. Nikola Krstovic and Stevan Jovetic will need to perform admirably in Belgrade on Tuesday to help Montenegro, which has the second-fewest goals in Group G behind Bulgaria. Serbia can no longer afford to lose to Hungary if they want to make it to Euro 2024 next summer. Although Aleksandar Mitrovic and Nikola Tadic may find it challenging to play against Montenegro due to their strong defensive play thus far in qualifying, the home team should have more offensive talent than the visitors can manage.
Serbia 2 – 1 Montenegro
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