- 1 Serbia vs Netherlands: two teams heading in opposite directions kick off Group A2
- 2 Serbia: inconsistency has defined the whole season
- 3 Netherlands: Xavi Hernandez starts his overhaul with a depleted squad
- 4 Football prediction Serbia vs Netherlands
- 5 First, a quick word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information can change fast
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible play first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the images…
Serbia vs Netherlands: two teams heading in opposite directions kick off Group A2 
Twelve games in 2026, five wins, one draw and six defeats: Serbia’s record over the past year shows a side that just can’t find any rhythm. The numbers are bleak too, with 1.83 goals conceded per game compared with only 1.0 scored.
On Sunday, Serbia host the Netherlands at the Rajko Mitic Stadium in Belgrade for Matchday 2 of the Nations League, in Group A2. Kick-off is set for 18:00 Paris time.
Veljko Paunovic has only just taken charge of Serbia, appointed after Dragan Stojkovic stepped down following the defeat to Albania. He inherits a squad that has still won 60% of its home games this season, even if the away form has been a mess.
Across the touchline, Xavi Hernandez is also starting a new era. The Spanish coach took charge of the Netherlands for the first time just three days earlier, on 24 September against Germany.
His squad for this international break is missing several key names. Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Xavi Simons are all sidelined through injury, while Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst were left out.
Serbia: inconsistency has defined the whole season 
Five wins, one draw and six defeats across Serbia’s last 12 competitive matches: they keep swinging between decent and dreadful without ever putting a run together. At home, though, the record is still positive with three wins and two losses.
Aleksandar Mitrovic wears the armband and remains Serbia’s main attacking threat, with five goals in his last eight appearances. His partnership with Luka Jovic up front is still the coach’s main option in attack.
In midfield, Andrija Zivkovic has provided the creativity for Serbia, with three assists in his last eight matches, while Aleksandar Stankovic brings power through the centre. Nemanja Maksimovic adds balance and bite in the holding role.
The defence remains the obvious weakness this season, with an average of 1.83 goals conceded per match across the campaign. Strahinja Erakovic and Milos Veljkovic will need to raise their level against a Netherlands attack with real pedigree.
Paunovic has only had a few weeks with the group, barely enough time to build new habits before a test this demanding.
Serbia have won only two of their last five home and away matches combined against nations ranked in the world’s top 20, a stat that does them no favours ahead of this clash with the Oranje.
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Netherlands: Xavi Hernandez starts his overhaul with a depleted squad 
Xavi Hernandez has only managed one competitive match as Netherlands boss before this trip to Belgrade. His first squad mixed continuity with a bit of boldness, keeping Virgil van Dijk as captain and handing out two first call-ups.
Ruben van Bommel and Gjivai Zechiel are in line for their senior debuts in this camp. Joey Veerman is back after being left out by previous coach Ronald Koeman.
Three senior players are missing through injury: Matthijs de Ligt, Frenkie de Jong and Xavi Simons are all out. Their absence forces the new coach to work with a reshaped squad right from the start.
Up front, Cody Gakpo and Donyell Malen carry most of the threat, with Ryan Gravenberch and Tijjani Reijnders supporting them in midfield. Denzel Dumfries and Jeremie Frimpong are expected to provide the width.
Memphis Depay and Wout Weghorst were not selected for this camp, a call that marks a clean break from past choices and shows Xavi Hernandez is keen to stamp his own mark on the side from day one.
Group A2 also includes Germany and Greece, a tough section that leaves little room for mistakes this early for an Oranje side still being rebuilt.
Probable Serbia line-up: Not available at time of publication.
Probable Netherlands line-up: Not available at time of publication.
Football prediction Serbia vs Netherlands
Our prediction: Netherlands to win
Even without three key players, the Netherlands still look stronger on an individual level than a Serbia side conceding 1.83 goals per game this season.
Serbia’s defence has been the weak link for months, and now it has to deal with a Dutch attack built around Gakpo, Malen, Gravenberch and Reijnders, all of whom are used to operating at a high European level.
On the basis of that gap in defensive quality, and despite the novelty of the Xavi Hernandez project, an away win for the Oranje looks the most logical outcome in this Group A2 showdown.
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