JAKARTA - Belgrade will witness the fate of Serbia and Austria in the second leg of the UEFA Nations League playoffs on Sunday evening, March 23. Both teams drew 1-1 in the first leg in Vienna, making this match a life-to-life duel to win a place in the next edition of Liga A.
Serbia had to go through a playoffs after only being able to finish third in their group inhabited by Spain, Denmark and Switzerland. The result forced them to fight to defend their place in Liga A.
Meanwhile, Austria failed to promote automatically after being two points behind Norway in Group B, forcing them to compete in the playoffs.
The first match in Vienna shows the balance between the two teams. Austria took the lead through Michael Gregoritsch's goal in the 37th minute before Serbia equalized through Lazar Samardzic in the second half.
Outside the Nations League, Serbia must also prepare for the upcoming World Cup qualifying matches, especially after they have to adjust their schedule due to involvement in this playoffs. However, keeping the place in League A remains a top priority.
Although still retained as a coach, Dragan Stojkovic has had a difficult period with Serbia. In the last 21 matches, his team has only won five. In fact, in the last 10 matches, they have only won once. However, the eight draws they have achieved show that Serbia can still compete at the highest level.
In contrast, Austria has shown a more stable performance since being handled by Ralf Rangnick in 2022. Of the 34 matches under his care, Austria won 19 times and only lost four times in the last 27 matches with a difference of one goal.
After a 1-2 defeat to Norway that thwarted direct promotions, Austria rose to an unbeaten record in five consecutive matches, including a 5-1 win over Norway in the second meeting. However, Austria have only won once in their last three away games, which could be a weakness when they travel to Serbia.
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Serbia received additional strength with the return of several players who were previously absent due to suspension, namely Nikola Milenkovic, Strahinja Pavlovic, Aleksa Terzic, and Andrija Zivkovic.
Di lini depan, Luka Jovic masih menjadi pertanyaan. Pemain AC Milan itu bermain selama 68 menit di leg pertama, yang merupakan tampilan terpanjangnya sejak September. Jika dia tidak dalam kondisi optimal, Mihajlo Cvetkovic berpotensi mengisi lini depan bersama Dusan Vlahovic.
In the Austrian camp, Rangnick is confirmed to return to relying on Marko Arnautovic in attack. In addition, Konrad Laimer will return to play in midfield after a one-match suspension.
With the aggregate still drawing, this match is predicted to take place tight. Serbia will try to take full advantage of the public's support in Belgrade, while Austria relies on the consistency and experience of their players to secure a place in the UEFA Nations League League League.
Serbia (3-4-1-2):Rajkovic; Gudelj, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Maksimovic, Lukic, Terzic; Samardzic; Vlahovic, Cvetkovic
Austria (4-2-3-1):Schlager; Wimmer, Lienhart, Alaba, Mwene; Seiwald, Laimer; Schmid, Gregoritsch, Baumgartner; Arnautovic
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