- The Serbia vs Spain match will kick off on Thursday at 9:45 PM.
- Spain head into the match on the back of lifting the Euro 2024 title.
- Serbia managed only two points from the European championship (D2 L1).
After their Euro 2024 triumph, Spain’s focus shifts to the UEFA Nations League where a monumental task awaits them.
The one-time FIFA World Cup champions have been placed in League A, Group 4 alongside Denmark, Serbia and Switzerland who have enjoyed great form in recent years
La Roja will open their campaign on Thursday against Serbia in a match scheduled to be played in Belgrade at the Rajko Mitic Stadium.
Head coach Luis de la Fuente will be seeking to have an excellent start with his talented squad which beat England 2-1 on July 14 to lift Spain’s fourth continental title.
Athletic Bilbao’s mercurial winger Nico Williams opened the scoring for Spain in that memorable match before Cole Palmer equalized for the Three Lions with 17 minutes remaining to the end of regulation time.
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However, super substitute Mikel Oyarzabal ensured La Roja returned to Spain with the coveted trophy by netting a late winner in the tournament held in Germany.
On the other hand, Serbia had a Euro 2024 experience to forget after finishing last in their Group which had England, Slovenia and Denmark.
The Eagles, as they are popularly known, will be hoping to improve their record in major tournaments, which has seen them fail to register a win in six matches under the guidance of head coach Dragan Stojković.
Here are key details you need to understand ahead of this fixture. Click this link to place your bet on the game and remember you can get up to 1000% SportPesa bonus on your multi bet of up to 50 games.
What time does Serbia vs Spain start?
The match will start at 9:45 PM Kenyan time on Thursday September 5.
Serbia vs Spain Team News
Spain are expected to be without four players who are currently nursing different types of injuries.
These players are Arsenal new boy Mikel Merino (shoulder), Fermin Lopez (muscle), number one goalkeeper Unai Simon (wrist) and Alvaro Morato (thigh).
In addition, Jesus Navas recently announced his retirement from international football, hence he will be unavailable.
With Simon’s absence, Spain’s tactician is likely to give onform David Raya the nod to start the match.
Similar to Spain, the hosts will also be without a number of their big names. Reliable midfielder Sergej Milinkovic and powerful forward Aleksandar Mitrovic will miss the clash due to injury-related reasons.
Possible Starting Lineups
Serbia: Rajkovic, Pavlovic, Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Nedeljkovic, Ilic, Lukic, Zivkovic, Stefan, Samardzic, Jovic
Spain: Raya, Cucurella, Le Normand, Laporte, Carvajal, Ruiz, Rodri, Olmo, Yamal, Nico, Oyarzabal
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Serbia vs Spain Head-to-head
Spain and Serbia have locked horns three times in different competitions since 2005 with the latter failing to pick up any victory. One of those matches ended in a 1-1 draw.
The most recent fixture between the two sides which was played in 2012 ended 2-0 in favor of Spain.
Serbia: 0
Draws: 1
Spain: 2
Serbia vs Spain Current Form
Serbia: LWLDD
Spain: WWWW
Serbia vs Spain Prediction
Spain have been a different animal since Luis de la Fuente took charge of the team and they are expected to register a victory in Thursday’s match.
However, they will have to be at their best to collect all the maximum points because Serbia will be playing at home.
Therefore, football fans should expect a thrilling match that may end with more than one goal.
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