Slovenia v Serbia: Nations League preview

European rivals set for Euro 2024 opener

Slovenia and Serbia will renew their rivalry when they meet in the opening match of their UEFA Nations League Group C campaign on Thursday.

The two sides are familiar foes, having met twice in the Nations League in 2022. Serbia won 4-1 in Belgrade in June, before the teams drew 2-2 in Ljubljana in September.

Slovenia will be looking to get their revenge in front of their home fans, while Serbia will be keen to maintain their unbeaten record against their opponents.

Team news

Slovenia will be without key defender Boštjan Cesar, who is suspended for the match.

Serbia, meanwhile, have a fully fit squad to choose from.

Predicted line-ups

Slovenia: Oblak; Milec, Mevlja, Bijol; Stojanović, Kurtić, Verbič, Iličić; Šporar, Šeško

Serbia: Dmitrović; Milenković, Veljković, Pavlović; Živković, Gudelj, Lukić, Kostić; Tadić, Vlahović, Mitrović

Preview

This match is likely to be a close and competitive affair.

Slovenia have a number of talented players, including goalkeeper Jan Oblak, defender Miha Mevlja and forward Josip Iličić.

Serbia, however, are the stronger team on paper and will be confident of getting a result.

The match will be played at the Stadion Stožice in Ljubljana.

Conclusion

This is a match that could go either way.

Slovenia will be looking to use their home advantage to their advantage, while Serbia will be confident of their quality.

The match is likely to be decided by small margins, and it could be a crucial one in the race for qualification to the knockout stages.