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Serbia and Portugal meet on September 7, 2019, in Belgrade for a crucial EURO 2020 qualifier matchup. Both teams are looking to make headway in Group B and with Ukraine pulling away with the first spot for the final round, they are left fighting for the other Group B pass to the final tournament.
Serbia
Serbia opened their Group B campaign with a 1-1 draw against Portugal last March 25, 2019. However, the Serbs were blanked 0-5 by Ukraine in their second outing at Arena Lviv in Ukraine. In their last match against Lithuania in Belgrade, the home team hacked out a 4-1 win to take third place in the Group. Aleksandar Mitrovic led Serbia with two goals in that match.
These were the player who suited up for Serbia during their June 7th match against Lithuania last June 10, 2019:
- Goalkeepers: Predrag Rajkovic, Marko Dmitrovic, Nikola Vasiljevic
- Defenders: Alexander Kolarov (captain), Antonio Rukavina, Stefan Mitrovic, Nikola Milenkovic, Uros Spajic, Milos Veljkovic, Filip Mladenovic, Nemanja Miletic
- Midfielders: Dusan Tadic (third captain), Adem Ljajic, Filip Kostic, Ljubomir Fejsa, Andrija Zivkovic, Nemanja Maksimovic, Mjiat Gacinovic, Nemanja Radonjic, Darko Lazovic, Sasa Lukic, Aleksandar Katai
- Forwards: Aleksandar Mitrovic, Aleksandar Prijovic, Luka Jovic
Portugal
Portugal began their EURO 2020 Qualifying tournament with a scoreless draw against Ukraine on March 22, 2019. Three days later, they figured in another draw, this time a 1-1 tie versus Serbia. Portugal has two points after two matches and they are still looking for their first win in Group B competition. Portugal is coming off a successful campaign at home where they won the inaugural UEFA Nations League last month.
Here are the members of Portugal’s Euro 2020 Qualifiers squad who played in their June 9, 2019 match against the Netherlands:
- Goalkeepers: Rui Patricio (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Beto (Goztepe), Jose Sa (Olympiakos)
- Defenders: Joao Cancelo (Juventus), Nelson Semedo (Barcelona), Jose Fonte (Lille), Pepe (Porto), Ruben Dias (Benfica), Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund), Mario Rui (Napoli)
- Midfielders: Danilo Pereira (Porto), Ruben Neves (Wolverhampton Wanderers), William Carvalho (Real Betis), Bruno Fernandes (Sporting Lisbon), Joao Mario (Inter Milan), Joa Moutinho (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Pizzi (Benfica)
- Forwards: Bernardo Silva (Manchester City), Joao Felix (Benfica), Goncalo Guedes (Valencia), Rafa Silva (Benfica), Andre Silva (Sevilla), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Diogo Jota (Wolverhampton Wanderers), Dyego Sousa (Braga)
Who Wins?
Portugal enters this matchup as the soccer betting favorites and they head to this match-up with the momentum of their victory at the first ever Nations League tournament which concluded last month. Portugal defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in the final to claim their second win in their last four competitive international tournaments that they’ve appeared in. Portugal also won the EURO 2016 and are the defending champions in this tournament.
Cristiano Ronaldo is already 34 years old now but the Juventus start is still at the peak of his powers. With 88 goals in 158 appearances for his country, Ronaldo is the highest scoring European in international football history. Ronaldo was the top goal scorer in the Nations League, owing to his hat trick against Switzerland in the semifinals of that tournament. He has committed to making himself available for Portugal they seek another win at EURO 2020.
Meanwhile, Serbia recently named 66-year old ex-Montenegro boss Ljubisa Tumbakovic as their new manager after Mladen Krstajic was booted out following their rough start in Group B competition. The unpopular Krstajic was fired in the aftermath of Serbia’s 0-5 loss to Lithuania last month. The team won three days later, defeating Lithuania 4-1 at home, but that did not save his job.
When you take a look at the Group B standings, Serbia is in third place while Portugal is in fourth. Although Luxembourg currently holds the second spot, Serbia and Portugal are expected to battle for the other qualification spot for the final tournament. This means that this matchup in Belgrade could be a dogfight with both teams desperately looking for a win that puts them in second place behind leaders Ukraine.
I expect Portugal to step up in this match and coming off a title-winning campaign in the Nations League, the 2016 EURO champions should win this. Of course, we’re making this pick with the assumption that Cristiano Ronaldo will play and is healthy. Given his scoring ability and leadership, I think Portugal beats Serbia. Prediction: Serbia
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