Serbia vs Denmark
Denmark already have one foot at the door of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals, but they still need one more positive result next week when they’re scheduled to take on Serbia at the Dubocica Stadium on Monday.
Defending champions Spain have already clinched their spot in League A Group 4 by notching four wins and one draw for 13 points. Denmark have seven points, and they can claim the second berth if they win or draw against Serbia.
Serbia, on the other hand, are right behind Denmark in the standings. Despite their mixed bag of UEFA Nations League 2024 results, Serbia have five points, and they can overtake Denmark only with a victory.
It’s win or go home time for Serbia, while Denmark are under less pressure coming into this contest.
Talking Points
The big guns must show up for Serbia
After an underwhelming run in the Euros, Serbia are doing better here in the UEFA Nations League since a quarter-finals berth is within reach.
The Orlovi’s frontline received a major boost, as Dusan Vlahovic has been recalled to the national team after being unavailable during the October international break.
Dusan Vlahovic will link up with Aleksander Mitrovic anew in the final third, and head coach Dragan Stojkovic hopes to see either one of them (better if both) find the back of the net against the Danes on Monday.
Vlahovic is doing well with Juventus this season, notching nine goals and one assist in all competitions. However, he will need to regain his confidence after failing to make an impact in Juventus’ 2-0 derby win against Torino last Sunday.
Meanwhile, Mitrovic already has 17 goals and three assists in all competitions this year, albeit in Saudi Arabia.
Vlahovic and Mitrovic have shouldered the offencive load for Serbia, but an unlikely hero showed up during their 1-1 stalemate against Switzerland.
Serbia trailed by one goal after Zeki Amdouni scored in the 78th minute, and a loss would’ve sent Dragan Stojkovic’s side to League B. However, Aleksa Terzic made sure that it wouldn’t happen, as he scored his first goal for his country during the 88th minute to tie the game.
With Ivan Ilic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic left out of the squad, Terzic should get another opportunity to showcase his repertoire against Denmark.
Riemer searching for first Denmark victory
Brian Riemer’s Denmark debut against Spain started off well, but it didn’t take too long before La Roja found their groove and eventually secured a 2-1 victory.
Mikel Oyarzabal exploited Denmark’s poor defending with a cool finish in the 15th minute. The defending European champions almost doubled their lead over the Danes before the halftime break.
Dani Olmo and Ayoze Perez combined to make it 2-0 for Spain, but Gustav Isaksen gave Denmark a sliver of hope with his 84th-minute goal.
Denmark were desperate for an equaliser, but Spain saw out the match, ending the Danes’ 29-month unbeaten home record.
The SBOTOP UEFA Nations League 2024 odds fancy Denmark’s chances to beat Serbia (compared to Spain), but they have no room for complacency.
History
Serbia and Denmark will meet for the sixth time on Monday. The Danes are undefeated against the Orlovi, notching four wins and one draw in their previous five meetings.
These two teams have already faced off twice this year. Serbia and Denmark had a goalless draw during the Euro 2024 group stage.
The latter defeated the former 2-0 in their previous UEFA Nations League group stage match last September, as Albert Grønbæk and Yussuf Poulsen found the back of the net. Lars Knudsen was Denmark’s coach at the time, as interim coach Morten Wieghorst was on sick leave.
Serbia have qualified for the top division of the UEFA Nations League for the first time after languishing in Leagues B and C in their three previous appearances.
Meanwhile, Denmark have almost always been in League A (except in 2018-19) but fell short of making it to the quarter-finals in 2020-21 and 2022-23.
Denmark have undergone a carousel of coaches since Kasper Hjulmand stepped down after losing to Germany in the Euro 2024 Round of 16.
Morten Wieghorst was given the interim job but never managed the national team in a competitive match. Lars Knudsen had his turn before he was replaced by Brian Wiemer last month.
Danish goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel will make his 110th national team appearance on Monday, while Aleksandar Mitrovic will become the first Serbian to reach the 60-goal mark if he finds the back of the net against Denmark.
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