All Serbia needed was a single shot on target to stop Austria in Vienna and give themselves a strong chance in the rematch on Sunday. Will the Serbs stop them again in Belgrade, just like they stopped Denmark, Switzerland and Spain in the group stage?
There is no denying that Austria were in control and had countless opportunities to win the first leg. They finished with an impressive 2.31 xG, after a total of 24 shots towards Predrag Rajkovic. Serbia played exactly as expected – full effort on defence and waiting for the right moment to counterattack. The Serbians didn't put a single shot on target for 60 minutes, but it turned out they only needed one to score. Atalanta's Lazar Samardzic took his chances from 25 yards out and found the top corner of the net, making it 1-1.
And now, Austria have to find a way to win at Stadion Rajko Mitic in Belgrade, where neither Denmark, Switzerland nor the European champions Spain managed to win in the group stage.
How the bookies view it: Bookmakers no longer favour Austria
Austria's advantage in the odds from the first clash no longer exists. Bookmakers expect a tighter clash after the whole world saw that Austria's fast attacking style was not good enough to cope with Serbia's impenetrable defence. Accordingly, you can pick Serbia at 19/10, the draw at 11/5, and Austria at 3/2.
Recent head to head: It's near-impossible to beat Serbia
The first leg added another interesting result to the old rivalry between Serbia and Austria. The teams have a lot of history from old World Cup qualifiers, with Austria having just one win in five official encounters. However, they hold the short-term advantage after beating Serbia 2-1 in a friendly in 2024. We saw them play the better football in the first leg again, but we also saw how comfortable the Serbs feel defensively.
Players to watch: Gregoritsch needs to repeat his performance
Michael Gregoritsch gave his all to bring the win in the first leg and we expect him to be in the thick of things again one way or another. Freiburg's striker spent much of the last two months off the pitch, but made a strong comeback with his club a week ago, scoring against Mainz. And his goal against Serbia was his third in his last three appearances for the national team.
Probable line-ups
Serbia: Rajkovic, Milenkovic, Gudelj, Pavlovic, Zivkovic, Maksimovic, Lukic, Samardzic, Terzic, Vlahovic, Cvetkovic
Austria: Schlager, Wimmer, Lienhart, Alaba, Seiwald, Mwene, Laimer, Schmid, Baumgartner, Gregoritsch, Arnautovic
Anything else catch the eye?
No doubt this will be one of the most interesting clashes on Sunday. Austria are still a slight favourite, but Serbia have proven they can hold their own against the best. Austria's form since October has been impressive, with the draw during the week being their fifth consecutive game without a loss. However, we think Austria missed a golden opportunity to win their promotion already in the first game. Now, Dragan Stojkovic will be able to rely on a nearly full squad, which will make his side far more competitive.
We expect Nikola Milenkovic, Andrija Zivkovic, Aleksa Terzic, and Strahinja Pavlovic to return to the lineup and that should be enough to send the game at least to extra-time. We expect the Serbians will have more opportunities and we should see goals on both ends again. Two of their three home games in the Nations League ended at 0-0, but Austria are not Spain or Denmark.
This World Cup match between Serbia and Austria will be played on and kick off at 17:00. Check below for our tipsters best Serbia vs Austria prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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