Our prediction for this Nations League match:
Serbia
Match Time & Date:
18/11/2020
02:45 PM
Prediction: 1-2
Russia
Russia will be looking to clinch top position in Group 3 when they take on Serbia in Belgrade in their last group game. The Russians failed to impress in a 3-2 loss to Turkey, but it has to be noted that Andrey Semenov was sent off after just 23 minutes. The experienced defender misses the Serbia game through suspension, while Artem Dzyuba has been left out of the squad. As always, a man to watch in the away team will be Valencia winger Denis Cheryshev, who found the net in the 3-2 defeat to Turkey.
The Eagles, on the other hand, have yet to recover from a heartbreaking loss to Scotland in the EURO 2021 playoffs final. Ljubisa Tumbakovic’s men are low on confidence ahead of their last group game in the Nations League, and given the importance of the match for Russia, away win should be considered. Aleksandar Kolarov has left the squad, while Luka Milivojevic has been tested positive for coronavirus, as well as Serie A ace Filip Djuricic.
Highlighted Player (Nemanja Matic):
Nemanja Matic is a Serbian footballer who plays for Premier League side Chelsea. The 194-cm-tall midfielder was born on 1 August, 1988 and he began his football career (youth) at Radnicki Obrenovac.
In 2005 he signed for Kolubara and after impressing with Kosice in the 2008/2009 campaign, Chelsea owners decided to sign him. Nemanja spent the 2010/2011 season on loan at Vitesse and at the end of the season he signed a deal with Portuguese giants Benfica, with David Luiz heading in the other direction.
Matic was in the form of his life in the 2013/2014 Primeira Liga campaign and he helped the Eagles clinch the domestic trophy. He rejoined Chelsea in 2014 for a fee of €25M and he helped the Blues win the Premier League title in the 2014/2015 season. Nemanja Matic has also developed into a key member of the Serbian national team that have been largely struggling of late.
Highlighted Team (Russia):
While they won the 1960 European Championship, while losing in the final in 1964, 1972 and 1988 as Soviet Union, Russia have enjoyed little success since starting to compete as an independent country in 1992.
Their best result up to date is the third-placed finish at the Euro 2008 in Austria and Switzerland, while the team failed to get past the group stage at the World Cup finals in three attempts. However, with Russian Premier League getting stronger by the day, the national team have started to improve as well, and they now finally seem capable of matching the world’s top sides.
The new generation includes high-quality footballers such as Alan Dzagoev, Aleksandr Kokorin, Artyom Dzyuba and Oleg Shatov, while the likes of Igor Akinfeev, Sergei Ignashevich, Roman Shirokov and Yuri Zhirkov are nearing the closing stages of their careers. But, with plenty of exciting talent coming through the ranks, future definitely looks bright for the Russia national team.
Genk
Shakhtar Donetsk
PSV
Midtjylland
Spartak Moscow
Benfica
Dinamo Zagreb
Legia
