Montenegro welcome Wales to Stadion Kraj Bistrice for a Group B4 clash in the UEFA Nations League, with both teams looking to snap out of a rough patch. Montenegro often do their best work at home and should have the upper hand over Wales, who tend to be poor travelers.
Montenegro began their UEFA Nations League campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Iceland on Friday. That was the third straight defeat for Robert Prosinecki’s men, who have found things a little difficult lately.
The good news for Montenegro is that they have mostly been away in recent times and are returning home on Monday. They often do their best work on home soil, winning four of their last five matches in front of their fans.
Wales also failed to win last time out as they were held to a 0-0 draw at home by Turkiye. They struggled to find their rhythm going forward and finished with just a single attempt on target despite the Turks playing the second half with 10 men.
The result is consistent with Wales’ recent form as they have now picked up just one win from their last seven matches, failing to score in the last four. Rob Page’s men have also struggled on their travels, winning just once in their last 10 away matches.
How the bookies view it: Slight edge for Wales
Wales have the slight edge among the bookies and are priced at 11/8 by Betfred to claim the win. A victory for Montenegro is valued at 2/1 while Betfred is also offering odds of 23/10 for a draw.
Head to head: Slight edge for Montenegro
Montenegro have a 2-1 edge from three previous matches against Wales. The last meeting was a Euro 2012 qualifier which ended 2-1 in favour of the Welsh.
Players to watch: Jovetic the man
Steven Jovetic remains a vital player for Montenegro and has found the net in five of the last 10 international matches. The forward had also scored in the last three home matches and could be worth keeping an eye on at 5/2 with Betfred.
Kieffer Moore often features in attack for Wales and will be tasked with providing the cutting edge in front of goal. The forward is priced at 21/10 by Betfred to get on the score sheet on Monday.
Probable line-up
Jovetic came off the bench last time out and could be given the nod up front on Monday. Nikola Krstovic is also likely to feature in attack while Marko Tuci is set to retain his place in defence.
Moore is pushing for a start on Monday after making a second half appearance last time out. Aaron Ramsey should drop back to midfield after playing as the false nine against Turkiye while Joe Rodon should continue at the back.
Montenegro: Mijatovic, Vukevic, Tuci, Rubezic, Radunovic, Marusic, Erakovic, Brnovic, Jovovic, Jovetic, Krstovic
Wales: Ward, Roberts, Rodon, Davies, Williams, Ampadu, Wilson, Ramsey, Johnson, Thomas, Moore
Anything else catch the eye?
Montenegro saw over 3.5 goals in their previous home fixture and a repeat is priced at 3/1 by Betfred. Over 2.5 goals is priced at 11/10 by Betfred, who is also offering odds of 5/6 on both teams to score.
The Montenegrins have grabbed the opening goal in four of their last five home matches and could be backed to score first on Monday at 23/20 by Betfred.
This UEFA Nations League match between Montenegro and Wales will be played on Sep 9, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Montenegro vs Wales prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
