Serbia welcome Germany to the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade as both teams play their penultimate Nations League match. The home side sit bottom of Group A2 having lost all four games thus far. Germany haven’t exactly faced much better, winning just once across their opening four matches, although a victory here could be a significant result.
Serbia on course for relegation
Serbia enjoyed a successful campaign in 2023/24, securing promotion to League A after winning four of their six group matches. That leap, however, has been a bridge too far. With zero points from four games, anything less than a win against the Germans will mean instant relegation back down to League B.
The Serbs were thrown into a challenging group, no doubt about that, but have managed to be somewhat competitive. All but one game has finished with them losing by just a one-goal margin, but they’ve also conceded two goals in each tie. It is tough at the top.
Their only consolation ahead of this game is that Germany have also been underwhelming. That, and home pitch advantage, could be key for Veljko Paunović and his men on Friday evening. But in some ways, the pressure is off. National pride is the only thing at stake now, and it will be interesting to see just how well they can perform.
Jürgen Klopp’s mixed start as Germany coach
Upon his announcement as the new manager of Die Mannschaft following the shock World Cup exit to Paraguay, many expected Klopp to become the messiah that would take the national team back to the summit of international football.
Why wouldn’t they? This was a man who reinvented Liverpool, taking them from the doldrums to Premier League and Champions League success.
The international game, though, is different. Something he has found out the hard way in his first few months. There’s no transfer window to patch up holes in the squad. You must make do with what you have.
One win from his opening four matches isn’t the start he envisaged, yet Germany still have a chance of making the playoffs. Wins over Serbia and Greece could very well see them vault into the top-two, but the performances must be better.
It is still early days under Klopp, but failing to qualify for the quarter-finals would be a blow, especially considering how lofty the ambitions were following his appointment.
Germany can take some encouragement from their 2-0 win over Serbia at the start of October. Klopp’s men bossed proceedings that night, having 74% possession throughout the match and registering a staggering 32 shots across the 90 minutes.
How it only finished just 2-0 is still a surprise. Despite underdelivering on their 3.81 xG, it was the sort of performance Klopp was looking for. More of the same on Friday, plus a few more goals, will make him happy.
Team news
Veljko Paunović is missing several key players which will force him into making several changes to his starting XI. Nemanja Maksimović and Saša Lukić will both miss this game due to suspension for yellow-card accumulation. Aleksandar Stanković was injured during training and returned to Inter Milan to begin recovery. Strahinja Pavlović and Filip Kostić are both injured; Aleksa Terzić is recovering from an infection. Striker Dušan Vlahović withdrew for personal reasons, the coach confirmed earlier.
Germany’s list of wounded is happily much shorter. Jamal Musiala, Serge Gnabry and Josha Vagnoman are confirmed unavailable, with Mike Baur listed as doubtful. It should be noted that a number of players (including Yann Bisseck, Malick Thiaw and Philipp Treu) are sitting on a yellow card and would miss the final match against Greece if they drew another.
Prediction
Both nations are in dire need of three points ahead of this clash and this could make for a cagey affair, especially if Germany struggle to get going. While the home side are starring into the relegation abyss, a win for the Germans would see them bolster their chances of sealing a place in the next round.
Despite being in charge for just four games, it feels as though this is a pivotal moment for Klopp. I’m backing the former Liverpool manager to get his team firing on Friday.
Serbia 0 – 3 Germany.
