Fresh from their Euro 2024 triumph, Spain begin the defence of their UEFA Nations League title with a Group D trip to Serbia on Thursday. The Spaniards are looking unstoppable at the moment and while Serbia have the quality to make things difficult at home, the champions are still expected to come out on top.
Serbia were one of the more impressive sides in last year’s UEFA Nations League as they gained promotion from League B into the elite competition. They suffered just one defeat in six matches and will be looking to bring some of those performances into this year's competition.
The Serbians do have the quality to achieve some measure of success but have failed to live up to their potential. Dragan Stojkovic’s men are coming off a disappointing showing at the European Championship, where they failed to progress from the group phase.
Spain appear to be coming into a new era of dominance, following in the class of 2008 that went on to win every title available. Luis de la Fuentes’ men are the current holders of the Nations League and added the European Championship to their trophy haul in the summer.
While no team has ever defended the Nations League, Spain’s cruise to glory in the summer puts them as overwhelming favourites to retain their title. They won every single match in Germany, all the way to the final and were never taken to penalties.
How the bookies view it: Spaniards to prevail
Spain have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 8/13 by Betfred to claim the win. Serbia are considered outsiders, with a home win valued at 4/1 while Betfred is also offering odds of 5/2 for a draw.
Head to head: No joy for Serbia
Spain have never lost to Serbia, claiming one win and two draws from three previous matches. The last meeting was a friendly in 2012 which ended 2-0 in favour of the Spaniards.
Players to watch: Exciting Spanish attack
Spain were arguably the most exciting team at the Euros, with the likes of Lamine Yamal, Nico Williams and Dani Olmo all impressing. All three men are likely to feature on Thursday and can help the Spaniards produce over 1.5 goals at 5/6 with Betfred.
Serbia also have some attacking quality of their own and will look to Luka Jovic to provide the spark. With support from Petar Ratkov and Veljko Brmancevic, they can produce over 0.5 goals at 4/6 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
It is a much changed squad for the Serbians, with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Filip Kostic not invited. Jovic is likely to lead the line while Saša Lukic should feature in midfield.
Spain are without captain Alvaro Morata, Mikel Merino and Unai Simon, who are all ruled out of Thursday’s clash. Robin Le Normand and Aymeric Laporte should feature in defence while Yamal and William are set to start in attack.
Serbia: Rajkovic, Terzic, Pavlovic, Milenkovic, Nedelkovic, Ilic, Lukic, Mitrovic, Brmancevic, Samardzic, Jovic
Spain: Raya, Carvajal, Le Normand, Laporte, Cucurella, Rodri, Ruiz, Yamal, Olmo, Williams Oyarzabal
Anything else catch the eye?
Serbia and Spain have quality in attack and both teams could be backed to score at evens with Betfred. Over 2.5 goals is also valued at evens with Betfred, who is also offering odds of 11/4 for over 3.5 goals.
With Spain priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, a win and over 2.5 goals could be considered at 9/5 with Betfred. The Spaniards could also be backed to score in both halves at 7/4 with Betfred.
This UEFA Nations League match between Serbia and Spain will be played on Sep 5, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Serbia vs Spain prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
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