Serbia will be looking to bounce back from a defeat in Hungary as they host Montenegro in Group G of the European Championship qualifiers. Montenegro have looked solid lately and can make things difficult but the Serbians have the superior quality and should claim the upper hand on Tuesday.
Serbia head into Tuesday’s clash off the back of a 2-1 defeat to Hungary in their previous qualifying fixture. All three goals were scored in the first half with Strahinja Pavlovic on target, and despite their best efforts after the break, they could not find another equaliser.
Things have been a bit difficult for Serbia in recent times as they have claimed just one win from their last four qualifying matches. Despite their struggles, Dragan Stojkovic’s men remain on course to reach the tournament in Germany as they sit just three points off the pace.
The problem for Serbia is a lack of discipline at the back having failed to keep a clean sheet in their last five matches across all competitions. However, having picked up a 2-0 win in the reverse fixture in Montenegro, they will be confident of doing the double and breathing new life into their campaign.
Montenegro have slowly played themselves back into contention in Group G having endured a slow start to the qualifying campaign. They are now two points off the qualifying places and can leapfrog the Serbians into second place with a win on Tuesday.
The Montenegrins picked up a 2-1 win over Bulgaria last time out in the qualifiers with Stevan Jovetic scoring a dramatic late winner. They warmed up for the trip to Serbia with a 3-2 victory over Lebanon in a friendly on Thursday.
Montenegro have found things difficult on their travels lately with just one win in their last four away matches across all competitions. Miodrag Radulovic’s men have only kept one clean sheet in that run and threw away the lead in a 2-2 draw with Lithuania in their previous away fixture in the qualifiers.
How the bookies view it
Despite their recent struggles, Serbia are still considered overwhelming favourites among the bookies with a home win priced at 2/5 with William Hill. A victory for Montenegro is valued at 8/1 by bet365 while 18/5 with Betfred.
Head to head
Serbia have won all three previous meetings with Montenegro and claimed a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in March with Dusan Vlahovic netting a brace.
Players to watch
With Dusan Vlahovic missing through injury, Aleksandar Mitrovic remains the biggest attacking threat for Serbia. The striker has three goals in three appearances against Montenegro and is priced at 10/11 by 888Sport to maintain his scoring run.
Montenegro have the quality to also hold their own in attack with Stevan Jovetic often tasked with providing the spark. The forward netted the winner last time out in the qualifiers and is priced at 19/5 by William Hill to get on the score sheet on Tuesday.
Anything else catch the eye?
Montenegro have seen over 3.5 goals in three of their last four matches across all competitions and Tuesday’s clash could produce a similar outcome at 23/10 with Unibet. Over 2.5 goals could also be considered at 17/20 with bet365 while William Hill is offering odds of 11/10 on both teams to score.
Serbia are priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, so a win and over 2.5 goals offers more value at 6/5 with bet365.
This Euro 2024 match between Serbia and Montenegro will be played on Oct 17, 2023 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Serbia vs Montenegro prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
