Serbia vs Austria prediction, H2H and probable lineups — March 23, 2025
Dillan George
Dailysports's expert
Translated by the editors
On Sunday, March 23, in the second leg of the UEFA Nations League quarter-finals playoff for a spot in League A, Serbia will host Austria. The first game ended in a 1-1 draw. I suggest betting on the total number of goals in this match.
Interesting facts about the match and head-to-head history
- The Serbian national team is on a streak of 3 consecutive draws.
- Serbia has won only 2 of their last 5 home matches.
- Austria is unbeaten in 5 consecutive games.
- This will be the seventh matchup between these teams. The win tally stands at 3-2 in favor of Serbia.
Match preview
No one expected Serbia to secure a spot in League A. Dragan Stojković's team, after a disappointing Euro 2024 campaign, appeared to be the obvious underdog in the group, but ultimately managed to outpace Switzerland and finish third, earning a playoff spot.
The "Eagles" owe their success to a pragmatic style of football, which even allowed them to hold Spain to a 0-0 draw at home. It was their strong home performance that enabled Serbia to claim third place, as they defeated Switzerland (2-0) and drew 0-0 with Denmark in Belgrade.
Four key Serbian players will return to the lineup after serving suspensions: Nikola Milenković, Strahinja Pavlović, Aleksej Terzić, and Andrija Živković.
Austria was considered the main contender for first place in their League B group, but they were unfortunate that Norway finally started to realize their high potential. As a result, Ralf Rangnick's team finished second, trailing Norway by 2 points. The draw with Slovenia (1-1) in the final round proved fatal for Austria.
In the first game against Serbia, the Austrians dominated the field but squandered numerous chances and conceded an illogical goal. Thus, Austria has made their task of reaching League A much more difficult.
Konrad Laimer's return from suspension is the only notable change in the lineup.
Probable lineups
- Serbia: Rajković; Gudelj, Milenković, Pavlović; Živković, Maksimović, Lukić, Terzić; Samardžić; Vlahović, Cvetković
- Austria: Schlager; Wimmer, Linhart, Alaba, Mwene; Seiwald, Laimer; Schmid, Gregoritsch, Baumgartner; Arnautović
Prediction for Serbia vs Austria
The pattern of play is unlikely to change compared to the first match. At home, Serbia is excellent in defense, so my bet for this match is on total goals under 2.5.
