Serbia vs Greece – News and Probable Lineups

Two European nations that missed out on qualifying for the 2026 World Cup clash at Stadion Rajko Mitic in Belgrade, with Serbia facing Greece in their opening match of the UEFA Nations League on Thursday night.

Both teams will compete in League A Group 2 alongside Germany and the Netherlands, needing to finish in the top two to advance to the quarter-finals.

Match overview

Following participation in the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, Serbia missed the latest tournament this summer, finishing third in their qualification group, just one point shy of second-placed Albania, who moved on to the playoffs.

The Eagles finished their qualification campaign with a close 2-1 victory at home against Latvia in November of last year. Since then, they have played four friendly matches in 2026, securing only one win against Saudi Arabia and suffering defeats to Spain, Cape Verde, and Mexico with an aggregate score of 11-1.

Head coach Veljko Paunovic recently revealed that he “offered to resign” after the 3-0 defeat to Cape Verde in May, yet he has since moved past the setback and revitalized his confidence in leading the national team through a successful Nations League campaign.

Ranked 40th globally by FIFA, Serbia finished third in their League A group during the 2024-25 Nations League season, overcoming Austria 3-1 on aggregate in the subsequent promotion/relegation playoffs.

The Eagles are now aiming to secure their first victory in the opening Nations League match since the tournament’s debut in 2018, as well as aiming to defeat Greece at home for the first time in 16 years since falling 1-0 in a friendly in Belgrade.

Greece also missed out on the World Cup for a third straight time this summer, concluding third in their four-team qualification group for the 2026 tournament, behind Scotland and Denmark.

Out of their six matches, Greece recorded two wins, one draw, and three losses, securing a 3-2 home victory against Scotland on matchday five, followed by a goalless draw with Belarus in their final qualifier last November.

The Azure and White have struggled to find their footing in 2026, failing to win any of their four matches, which included draws away to Hungary (0-0) and Sweden (2-2), sandwiching narrow home losses to Paraguay and Italy, the latter of which occurred in June.

Serbian-born head coach Ivan Jovanovic has experienced more success with Greece in the Nations League, leading his squad from League C to League A due to consecutive promotions. A 3-1 playoff victory over Scotland last March secured their place in the upper tier.

Ranked 46th by FIFA, Greece lost their last encounter with Serbia (2-0 friendly defeat in November 2014), but have only suffered two losses across their last ten outings (W5 D3) in all competitions, a stretch that included a memorable 2-1 victory over England at Wembley in October 2024.

Team News

For Serbia, Dusan Vlahovic, Nikola Milenkovic, Predrag Rajkovic, and Aleksandar Mitrovic – the Nations League’s second-highest all-time scorer with 15 goals – will be unavailable due to injuries.

Nonetheless, 37-year-old Dusan Tadic has been called up for the first time since his retirement announcement post-Euro 2024. The NEC Nijmegen midfielder is in contention to earn his 112th national cap against Greece.

Almeria’s Stefan Dzodic and Vojvodina’s Petar Sukacev and Lazar Nikolic are all set to make their international debuts, while striker Luka Jovic and winger Andrija Zivkovic – who play in Greece with AEK Athens and PAOK respectively – are both possible starters.

As for Greece, Lazaros Rota, Dimitris Giannoulis, and Giannis Konstantelias will not feature due to injuries, while former captain Tasos Bakasetas has been left out along with Pantelis Hatzidiakos and Sotiris Kontouris.

Hull City goalkeeper Konstantinos Tzolakis has made an impressive start to his Premier League career and will challenge Odysseas Vlachodimos for the starting spot, while Liverpool left-back Kostas Tsimikas and West Ham center-back Konstantinos Mavropanos are both expected to start in defense.

Brighton’s Charalampos Kostoulas has contributed four goal involvements in his past two Premier League games (two goals, two assists) but has yet to find the net in four caps for Greece and will aim to break that spell on Thursday.

He could be supported in attack by Arsenal’s recent signing Christos Tzolis and Georgios Masouras from NEOM, while talented youngsters Konstantinos Karetsas and Christos Mouzakitis may feature in central midfield.

Serbia probable starting XI:

V. Milinkovic-Savic; Nedeljkovic, Pavlovic, Erakovic, Bukinac; Lukic, S. Milinkovic-Savic; Zivkovic, Tadic, Kostic; Jovic

Greece probable starting XI:

Vlachodimos? Mavropanos, Koulierakis, Restos? Vagiannidis, Mouzakitis, Kourbelis, Tsimikas; Masouras, Kostoulas, Tzolis

A fiercely contested matchup could unfold in Belgrade between two countries eager to establish an early advantage, with Greece taking comfort from the fact that the visiting side has triumphed in the last two encounters.

While Serbia is currently missing some key attacking players, Greece is set to showcase several exciting talents, which could provide the creative edge needed to help the visitors secure a narrow win and kick-start their campaign.