Preview: Serbia vs. Montenegro - prediction, team news, lineups

After losing 2-1 away to Hungary, Serbia will be looking to bounce back in the match against Montenegro in the crucial battle for second-placed finish in Group G.

The first meeting between the two sides ended in a rather convincing 2-0 win for Serbia in March, but with the hosts going into Saturday's game with a very different dynamic after their bitter defeat, the tide could turn in this match.

Match preview

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The hosts are in a situation where they can no longer afford to drop points, as Montenegro are only two points behind them and have played one game less, therefore even a draw would not guarantee Serbia second place in the group standings after all.

Dragan Stojkovic's side were very unlucky not to at least draw against Hungary as they dominated for large parts of the game, hitting the woodwork three times and failing to convert three of their four big scoring chances.

It was the second defeat for Serbia in the 2024 Euro qualifiers, after they lost to Hungary by the same scoreline the first time in Belgrade over a month ago.

Although the Eagles failed to take advantage of their chances against Hungary, their defensive performance is even more worrying as they have failed to keep a single clean sheet in four consecutive matches.

Serbia's only home win in the Euro 2024 qualifiers was the opening match against Lithuania. It is therefore difficult to say whether the team is better offensively at home than away, but one thing is certain - they will not be able to afford to miss as many clear cut chances on Tuesday night as they did against Hungary.

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Montenegro, on the other hand, enter this match on the back of a 3-2 win in an international friendly against Lebanon, having been forced to sit out the weekend's qualifier due to an uneven number of teams in Group G.

A win in a friendly means little to nothing when it comes to Euro qualifying, but Miodrag Radulovic's men can go into this game fairly confident, as even a draw would not eliminate them from qualifying for Euro 2024, having played a game less than Serbia.

They remained unbeaten in their last two qualifiers, including a 2-1 win over Bulgaria despite having to play with 10 men for half an hour in the second half, and a 2-2 draw in Lithuania after conceding a goal in stoppage time.

Montenegro are still unbeaten away from home in this qualifying campaign and will do everything they can to maintain that record on Tuesday night.

Team News

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Serbia are expected to keep their 3-4-3 formation, but a few changes in personnel by Stojkovic would not be a surprise.

Mijat Gacinovic did not have the best game against Hungary on the left wing and could make way for Filip Djuricic, who came off the bench after an hour on Saturday.

Dusan Tadic was unexpectedly not in the starting XI against Hungary and was only substituted on at half time. The 34-year-old is an important part of Serbia's attack and is expected to regain his place in the starting XI.

Montenegro will have to do without Igor Vujacic, who was sent off for two bookable offences against Bulgaria last month, therefore Zarko Tomasevic is likely to take his place in defence.

Even without Vujacic, they look solid enough defensively to keep this Serbian team in check, but things become much more concerning when we focus on Montenegro's attack.

After Bulgaria, Montenegro are the team with the second fewest goals in Group G, and Nikola Krstovic and Stevan Jovetic will have to step up tremendously in Belgrade on Tuesday to turn it around.

Serbia possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Erakovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Terzic, Gudelj, Milinkovic-Savic; Duricic, Tadic, Mitrovic

Montenegro possible starting lineup:
Mijatovic; Tomasevic, Savic, Sipcic; Marusic, Vukcevic, Jankovic, Bakic, Loncar; Krstovic, Jovetic

We say: Serbia 2-1 Montenegro

A loss to Hungary means Serbia can no longer afford to drop points if they want to qualify for Euro 2024 next summer.

Montenegro have been solid defensively so far in qualifying and could make life difficult for the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Tadic, but at the end of the day they should have too much offensive talent for the visitors to handle.


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