Serbia vs Albania prediction, H2H and probable lineups – October 11, 2025
As part of the European qualifiers for the World Cup, Serbia and Albania will face off in a highly anticipated clash. The match will take place in Leskovac on Saturday, October 11. Kick-off is scheduled for 20:45 Central European Time. I'm backing a bet on the total goals in this encounter.
Match preview
After a disappointing European Championship, the Serbian national team has been in decline—a slump that began on German soil. The team failed to impress in the Nations League, barely holding on to their place in the elite division.
Their lack of scoring power prevented them from reaching the playoffs, and in the playoff matches against Austria, luck finally smiled on Stojković's men. Interestingly, right after the World Cup qualification groups were drawn, the Serbians didn't harbor any grand illusions.
A draw against Albania and wins over Andorra and Latvia can be considered decent results, but far from perfect. On the bright side, the team kept clean sheets in these matches, but their collapse against England wiped all of that away.
One could blame the red card, but even before that, Serbia was trailing 0-3, and the final debacle—losing 0-5 at home in Belgrade—was a shock for the local fans. The match against Albania is crucial not only due to the political undertones but also in terms of the battle for second place in the group.
Albania made a memorable impression at the European Championship, bravely battling in the group of death alongside Italy, Spain, and Croatia, earning invaluable experience and a single point. The team proved it deserves respect—even from Europe’s top nations.
However, their last Nations League campaign ended in failure. Albania finished bottom of their group—behind Georgia, Czechia, and Ukraine—with just 7 points and were relegated to Division C.
In the current World Cup qualifiers, Albania hasn’t looked like the most stable side—and it’s not just about their loss to England. That was expected, but beating Latvia twice was an absolute must.
Now they must beat Serbia, otherwise holding on to second place and a playoff spot will be a tall order. The match against Andorra can be set aside, as can the game against England, who by then should have already guaranteed a place at the World Cup finals. Taking all this into account, if the head-to-head ends in a draw, Serbia will have the upper hand going forward.
Match facts
- Serbia have conceded in just one of their last five matches.
- Albania are unbeaten in their last five games.
- Serbia average 1.4 goals per home game, while Albania average 0.7 goals per away game.
Probable lineups
- Serbia: Petrović, Pavlović, Eraković, Veljković, Kostić, Živković, Gudelj, Maksimović, Stanković, Mitrović, Vlahović.
- Albania: Strakosha, Hysaj, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Mitaj, Shehu, Laçi, Asllani, Broja, Bajrami, Manaj.
H2H
- The teams have played three matches against each other. One was abandoned due to crowd trouble, and Albania were awarded a technical win.
- Albania have never scored against Serbia.
Prediction
This clash attracts attention primarily due to the tense political backdrop between the countries. There’s no doubt the atmosphere will be electric both in the stands and on the pitch—a real battle is expected. Given these factors, expect more fight than football. With all this in mind, my bet is on under 2.5 total goals.
