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Preview: England face stern Serbia test in Belgrade

Preview: England face stern Serbia test in Belgrade

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England’s Three Lions return to the Serbian capital for the first time in 38 years.

By Filip Mishov

First meets second in Group K

With Serbia and England being the only undefeated national teams in Group K of the UEFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers and both boasting a perfect defensive record, the stakes are high ahead of their meeting as the fiery hosts await Euro 2024’s runners-up in Belgrade.

The Three Lions secured a narrow win (0-1) against the Serbs in the group phase at Euro 2024 through Jude Bellingham‘s header in what is their only meeting since Serbia’s independence was restored back in 2006.

It was quite an uneventful affair, unlike England’s last visit to Belgrade back in 1987. The then Bobby Robson-led squad faced the former Yugoslavia with the up-and-coming midfield maestro Dragan Stojković (now coach) in the starting XI at the Red Star Stadium (later renamed to Rajko Mitić Stadium) in the Euro 1988 Qualifiers, and Bryan Robson & co. cruised to a dominant victory (1-4) with Peter Beardsley, John Barnes and Tony Adams finding the back of the net alongside Captain Marvel.

Key players

With Vanja Milinković-Savić asking to be left out of the squad for September’s international window in order to adjust to the new surroundings in Naples, Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrović acts as Serbia’s undisputed No. 1 during the qualifiers.

The talented shot stopper has enjoyed a decent start to the season with a couple of clean sheets across the Premier League‘s opening three rounds, and boasts an average FotMob rating of 7.38. Additionally, Serbia are yet to concede in the three qualifiers played so far, with Petrović playing in each game and even saving a penalty in their draw with Albania back in June.

For England, all-time top scorer Harry Kane (73 goals) is already averaging an impressive FotMob rating of 9.30 in the Bundesliga after scoring a hat-trick and adding a couple of assists for Bayern München across 176 minutes this season. Furthermore, the 108-capped striker is England’s most in-form forward with three goals in four qualifying matches and remains central to Thomas Tuchel‘s plans.

Team news

Serbia’s own all-time top scorer (62 goals), Aleksandar Mitrović only came off the bench and played the final eight minutes in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Latvia in Riga after returning from a long injury layoff, and it will be interesting to see whether Stojković will stick with Luka Jović in the starting XI ahead of Al Rayyan’s new striker. The same goes for the 34-year-old Aleksandar Katai who recorded the assist for the winning goal, but was then replaced by Lazar Samardzić at half-time.

Deputant Elliot Anderson impressed in England’s 2-0 victory against Andorra (see ratings below), but the experienced Jordan Henderson is in line to replace the 22-year-old and sit alongside Declan Rice in midfield, while Anthony Gordon or Morgan Rogers could take Marcus Rashford‘s place, given the latter’s debatable strength when it comes to defensive contributions.

Prediction

Undoubtedly, the rocky trip to Serbia’s capital will be Thomas Tuchel’s biggest test since taking charge of the Three Lions at the start of the year, and with England’s performances being far from convincing despite their faultless record in the qualifiers, I expect a draw to played out amidst what will be a hectic atmosphere in Belgrade.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every World Cup qualifier with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.

Preview: England face stern Serbia test in Belgrade

England’s Three Lions return to the Serbian capital for the first time in 38 years.

By Filip Mishov

First meets second in Group K

With Serbia and England being the only undefeated national teams in Group K of the UEFA World Cup 2026 Qualifiers and both boasting a perfect defensive record, the stakes are high ahead of their meeting as the fiery hosts await Euro 2024’s runners-up in Belgrade.

The Three Lions secured a narrow win (0-1) against the Serbs in the group phase at Euro 2024 through Jude Bellingham‘s header in what is their only meeting since Serbia’s independence was restored back in 2006.

It was quite an uneventful affair, unlike England’s last visit to Belgrade back in 1987. The then Bobby Robson-led squad faced the former Yugoslavia with the up-and-coming midfield maestro Dragan Stojković (now coach) in the starting XI at the Red Star Stadium (later renamed to Rajko Mitić Stadium) in the Euro 1988 Qualifiers, and Bryan Robson & co. cruised to a dominant victory (1-4) with Peter Beardsley, John Barnes and Tony Adams finding the back of the net alongside Captain Marvel.

Key players

With Vanja Milinković-Savić asking to be left out of the squad for September’s international window in order to adjust to the new surroundings in Naples, Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrović acts as Serbia’s undisputed No. 1 during the qualifiers.

The talented shot stopper has enjoyed a decent start to the season with a couple of clean sheets across the Premier League‘s opening three rounds, and boasts an average FotMob rating of 7.38. Additionally, Serbia are yet to concede in the three qualifiers played so far, with Petrović playing in each game and even saving a penalty in their draw with Albania back in June.

For England, all-time top scorer Harry Kane (73 goals) is already averaging an impressive FotMob rating of 9.30 in the Bundesliga after scoring a hat-trick and adding a couple of assists for Bayern München across 176 minutes this season. Furthermore, the 108-capped striker is England’s most in-form forward with three goals in four qualifying matches and remains central to Thomas Tuchel‘s plans.

Team news

Serbia’s own all-time top scorer (62 goals), Aleksandar Mitrović only came off the bench and played the final eight minutes in Saturday’s 1-0 win over Latvia in Riga after returning from a long injury layoff, and it will be interesting to see whether Stojković will stick with Luka Jović in the starting XI ahead of Al Rayyan’s new striker. The same goes for the 34-year-old Aleksandar Katai who recorded the assist for the winning goal, but was then replaced by Lazar Samardzić at half-time.

Deputant Elliot Anderson impressed in England’s 2-0 victory against Andorra (see ratings below), but the experienced Jordan Henderson is in line to replace the 22-year-old and sit alongside Declan Rice in midfield, while Anthony Gordon or Morgan Rogers could take Marcus Rashford‘s place, given the latter’s debatable strength when it comes to defensive contributions.

Prediction

Undoubtedly, the rocky trip to Serbia’s capital will be Thomas Tuchel’s biggest test since taking charge of the Three Lions at the start of the year, and with England’s performances being far from convincing despite their faultless record in the qualifiers, I expect a draw to played out amidst what will be a hectic atmosphere in Belgrade.

(Cover image from IMAGO)

You can follow every World Cup qualifier with FotMob this season – featuring deep stats coverage, xG, and player ratings. Download the free app here.