FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
One of the most interesting matches for the World Cup qualifiers takes place at the Dubocica Stadium in Leskovac, where Serbia and Albania will face off in Group K.
But what are the predictions for the Serbia-Albania match, based on the recent developments of the two teams, and what are the chances of victory for the Serbs and Albanians?
Goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (Napoli, on loan from Torino) and midfielder Sasa Lukic (Fulham), who was also suspended for the visit to Albania, are both out through injury. Serbia has brought in six players with no international experience, including 18-year-old defender Veljko Milosavljevic (AFC Bournemouth) and striker Andrej Ilic (Union Berlin).
Dragan Stojkovic can rely on the experience of Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al-Rayyan), Filip Kostic (Juventus) and Nemanja Gudelj (Sevilla), as well as striker Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), who scored their only goal last month in a 1-0 win over Latvia in Riga.
Nikola Milenkovic (Nottingham Forest) is suspended after receiving a red card in the defeat to England last month, so Milos Veljkovic (Red Star Belgrade) could replace him in the starting line-up.
On the other hand, Albania coach Sylvinho can rely on a lot of experience, with defenders Elseid Hysaj (Lazio) and Berat Djimsiti (Atalanta), who have played 92 and 65 games respectively, having been included in the Rossoneri squad for the UEFA match against Serbia and the friendly against Jordan.
However, center back Marash Kumbulla (Real Mallorca, on loan from AS Roma) and midfielder Adrion Pajaziti (Hadjuk Split) are both injured.
Predicted lineups for Serbia-Albania matches
Serbia: Petrovic; Erakovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic; Maksimovic, Gudelj; Nedeljkovic, Zivkovic, Ilic, Kostic; Vlahovic
Albania: Strakosha; Hysaj, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Mitaj; Asllani, Shehu, Laci; Broja, Manaj, Bajrami
Serbia have an 8/11 chance of returning to winning ways on Saturday, meaning a 57.9% probability of success, while Albania have a 9/2, or 18.2%, chance of recording a third consecutive victory, following last month's 1-0 friendly win over Gibraltar and a 1-0 home triumph over Latvia in World Cup qualifying.
The draw is rated at 5/2, both teams to score at 6/5, and over 2.5 goals total at 5/4.
The previous two matches between Serbia and Albania, the first of which ended in a 0-0 draw and a 3-0 win for Albania, have ended with two goals or fewer. Serbia won 2-0 in Elbasan in October 2015 and almost 10 years later, in June 2025, the two countries drew 0-0 in Tirana.
Nine of Albania's last 11 matches, including three of the last four, have gone under 2.5 goals, while 12 of Serbia's last 15 matches have produced two or fewer goals, so prepare for another cautious match in Serbia on Saturday.
Serbia, with better players and home team advantage, starts the match as favorites to win, although the absences of Milenkovic and Lukic hurt their chances of earning all three points.
Lini një Përgjigje