Serbia vs Spain: Prediction, Preview & Betting Tips

It has been an excellent stretch of form for Spain, and we expect this to continue with a comfortable win over Serbia. They have won nine games in a row and are unbeaten in their last 10 dating back to March.

Serbia, in contrast, are winless in their last three and have lost their only meeting with Spain. The Spaniards have also been the first to score in five of their previous seven and goals have been prominent with the Over 2.5 market landing in their last four competitive fixtures. However, Spain have not kept a clean sheet in their last four, so Serbia could take advantage of this – Serbia 1-3 Spain

Spain are looking to continue their excellent form from the summer in their opening Nations League game against Serbia as they look to defend their crown.

Date: 05/09/24

Kick-off time: 19:45

Venue: Red Star Stadium

European Champions Spain have their eyes set on more silverware as they aim to make it back-to-back Nations League victories after their triumph in 2023. Manager Luis de la Fuente will be confident in his side to make the perfect start to the group stages.

They will be facing a Serbia side who finished bottom of their group in the Euros and have won just once in their last five. It has been a struggle for the Serbians, particularly in attack, as they have scored only twice in this period. It does not get any easier for them, with both Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic absent from the squad.

However, they could get some success with Spain failing to keep a clean sheet in any of their last four games. Luka Jovic is expected to get the start up top, and he is still searching for his first goal of the campaign. At the other end, Serbia will have their work cut out to stop the Spain attack. Whilst the visitors have not been as solid defensively, goals have not been hard to come by with 10 in their last four. Alvaro Morata will miss out, but watch out for youngster Lamine Yamal, who enjoyed an impressive Euros, and has already scored for Barcelona this season.

Contrastingly, Serbia have been solid at the back, despite their lack of results. In their three games at the Euros, they let in just two goals, including a tight game against England. Stretching back further prior to the tournament, they kept two clean sheets in three. As a result they could provide a stern test for a Spain team who have been flying.

There has only ever been one meeting between Spain and Serbia in history, and this one will be the first competitive fixture. The one game came in 2012 in an international friendly in which Spain were 2-0 winners. Adrian Lopez and Santi Cazorla were the scorers on this day.

Serbia vs Spain will not be available to watch on TV in the UK.

Serbia

Aleksandar Mitrovic is out through injury and Dusan Vlahovic was not named in the squad. Luka Jovic should get the start up front with them out.

Spain

There are a few injuries for Spain, with Unai Simon, Mikel Merino and Alvaro Morata all out. David Raya should get the start in the absence of Simon. Rodri is involved in the squad but has yet to play for Man City this season, so his spot in the lineup is in doubt.

Serbia:

In their last five games, Serbia have won one, drawn two and lost two. They were eliminated in the group stages of the Euros, managing to pick up just one point which came in their final game against Denmark. It ended goalless, as they recorded a single shot on target in the match.

This followed another draw, 1-1 against Slovenia. They fell behind with 21 minutes to go, but were able to salvage a point at the death through Luka Jovic, who scored in the fifth minute of stoppage time. It was a positive result in response to an opening defeat against England. An early Jude Bellingham goal was the difference for the eventual finalists, in a game of very few chances.

The first two games of this run were the final warm up games prior to the tournament. The first was a 2-1 defeat to Austria, before they picked up a 3-0 win over Sweden. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Aleksander Mitrovic and Dusan Tadic were on the scoresheet.

Spain:

In their last five games, Spain have been perfect, winning all five. It has been an incredible summer for Spain and their fans, in which they lifted the European Championship in Germany. Throughout the tournament, they won all of their games, and they will look to continue their dominance in the Nations League. It all culminated in a 2-1 final win against England, as Nico Williams and Mikel Oyarzabal scored either side of a Cole Palmer equaliser to crown them as champions.

This run began with a final group stage victory over Albania. They were already through, but Ferran Torres ensured they ended with a 100% record. This set up a last 16 match with Albania, which they won 4-1. Their opponents provided a shock by taking an early lead, but goals from Rodri, Fabian Ruiz, Williams and Dani Olmo sent them through comfortably.

Their journey included two more 2-1 wins in the quarter-final and semi-final, firstly against Germany and then France. Against the hosts, they looked set to go through in regular time thanks to an Olmo strike. However, a last minute Florian Wirtz leveller sent the tie to extra-time. Penalties loomed, but Mikel Merino scored a late goal of his own to break German hearts. All of the scoring was done early in the semis, though they had to come from behind to win against France. Randal Kolo Muani put the French ahead early, but two goals in four minutes from Lamine Yamal and Olmo turned the game on its head.

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