Serbia vs Greece Prediction, Betting Tips & Preview

Featured Offer

bet365

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

Claim Offer →

Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad

Serbia

vs

Greece

KickoffThursday 24 September 2026, 7:45pm

VenueStadion Rajko Mitić

CompetitionUEFA Nations League

Serbia versus Greece. Two nations who both watched the World Cup on television this summer, both harbouring genuine ambitions of putting that right, and both now stepping into a Nations League group that also contains Germany and the Netherlands. The pressure to perform is real, the stakes are meaningful, and neither side can afford to treat this opening game as a warm-up. For the neutral, there is plenty to chew on here. A Serbian squad ravaged by injuries but welcoming back a legendary playmaker. A Greek team quietly building something under a Serbian coach, with Premier League talent scattered across the lineup. This has the makings of a tight, tense affair with a goal or two to settle it.

Serbia need to find an identity fast. Their friendly results in 2026 have been alarming, conceding eleven goals across three defeats to Spain, Cape Verde and Mexico. A head coach who publicly considered walking away. A World Cup missed. There is a lot of noise around this camp, and some of it is uncomfortable. Greece have their own story to tell, three consecutive World Cup absences now, but a Nations League journey that has taken them from League C all the way to the top flight. They arrive in Belgrade believing they belong here.

Serbia vs Greece Match Details

This UEFA Nations League League A Group 2 opener takes place at Stadion Rajko Mitic in Belgrade. Serbia and Greece are sharing a group with Germany and the Netherlands, which tells you everything about the level of competition they are stepping into. Only the top two sides progress to the quarter-finals, so points in the early fixtures are not just welcome, they are essential.

Team News

Serbia are dealing with a significant injury list, and the absences are not small names either. Aleksandar Mitrovic, the second highest scorer in Nations League history with fifteen goals, is out. So too are Dusan Vlahovic, Nikola Milenkovic and Predrag Rajkovic. That is a brutal combination of firepower and defensive experience to be missing. The one piece of genuinely uplifting news is the return of Dusan Tadic, who is in contention for his 112th cap after coming out of international retirement.

• Dusan Vlahovic out (injury)
• Nikola Milenkovic out (injury)
• Predrag Rajkovic out (injury)
• Aleksandar Mitrovic out (injury)
• Dusan Tadic available after international return
• Stefan Dzodic, Petar Sukacev and Lazar Nikolic all available for potential debuts

Greece are also missing key figures. Lazaros Rota, Dimitris Giannoulis and Giannis Konstantelias are ruled out through injury, while former captain Tasos Bakasetas has been left out of the squad altogether alongside Pantelis Hatzidiakos and Sotiris Kontouris. That is a notable omission for Bakasetas in particular.

• Lazaros Rota out (injury)
• Dimitris Giannoulis out (injury)
• Giannis Konstantelias out (injury)
• Tasos Bakasetas omitted from squad
• Konstantinos Tzolakis pushing Odysseas Vlachodimos for the goalkeeper spot

Predicted Lineups

Veljko Paunovic faces a real puzzle up front without his usual strikers. Luka Jovic, who plays for AEK Athens in Greece, looks the most likely option through the middle, with Andrija Zivkovic of PAOK offering width and a threat in behind. Tadic slotting back into the number ten role gives this side some creativity and experience, but it is a very different looking Serbia to the one that qualified for back-to-back World Cups.

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

Ivan Jovanovic has some genuinely exciting options in attack. Charalampos Kostoulas has been in brilliant form for Brighton with four goal involvements in his last two Premier League games, while Arsenal summer signing Christos Tzolis and Georgios Masouras could complete an attacking trio with real quality. Kostas Tsimikas and Konstantinos Mavropanos anchor the defensive shape, and teenage midfielders Karetsas and Mouzakitis add energy and potential in the engine room.

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

Recent Form

Serbia’s 2026 form makes for grim reading. Their only win in four outings came against Saudi Arabia, and they shipped eleven goals against Spain, Cape Verde and Mexico. That Cape Verde defeat in particular, a 3-0 loss that prompted Paunovic to publicly offer his resignation, revealed just how far this squad is from its best. The 2-1 win over Latvia in their final World Cup qualifier last November feels like a very long time ago now, and that narrow victory was not enough to keep them in the hunt for a playoff spot anyway.

What is encouraging for Serbia is that the Nations League has traditionally been a better environment for this group. They finished third in their last League A campaign but beat Austria across two legs to retain their top-flight status. There is some evidence that the structure of a campaign suits them better than one-off friendlies, and home form in competitive football is where they have historically been strongest. Whether that translates given the current injury crisis is the big question.

Greece’s recent run is quietly impressive when you strip away the World Cup disappointment. Across their last ten internationals they have won five, drawn three and lost just twice. That includes the famous 2-1 win over England at Wembley in October 2024, a result that underlined how dangerous this side can be on their day. Their 2026 friendlies have not produced a win, with draws in Hungary and Sweden and narrow home defeats to Paraguay and Italy, but the performances have shown enough to suggest Jovanovic has built something with genuine defensive solidity.

Head-to-Head Record

The head-to-head record here throws up a couple of interesting details. Greece have won the last two meetings between these sides, and in this specific fixture the away team has come out on top in both recent encounters. The most recent of those was a 2-0 friendly defeat for Greece back in November 2014, which means Serbia actually have not beaten the Greeks in twelve years. And crucially, Serbia have never beaten Greece on home soil, with their last Belgrade meeting ending in a 1-0 loss for the hosts all the way back in 2010.

That record is not the sort of thing Paunovic will want his players thinking too hard about before kickoff, but it is the kind of context that gives Greece’s travelling squad legitimate reason for confidence. History says the visitors have the edge in this fixture.

Key Stats

• Serbia conceded eleven goals in three friendly defeats in 2026, suggesting serious defensive vulnerability
• Greece have lost just twice in their last ten internationals across all competitions
• Serbia have never beaten Greece at home, with their last meeting in Belgrade ending in a 1-0 defeat for the hosts
• Aleksandar Mitrovic, Nations League second highest scorer in history with fifteen goals, is absent for Serbia
• Kostoulas has four goal involvements in his last two Premier League appearances but is yet to score in four Greece caps

Serbia vs Greece Betting Tips

Serbia are missing their most dangerous attackers at exactly the wrong moment, and their 2026 friendly form has exposed genuine frailties at both ends of the pitch. Greece, by contrast, arrive with a settled defensive shape, Premier League quality in attack, and a historically strong record in this fixture. The value in this match leans firmly towards the visitors, and I think Greece can nick this one without the game turning into a goal fest.

Correct Score Prediction

With Serbia so short of firepower and Greece defensively organised, I am going with a tight one. Greece to win 1-0 feels right, a single goal settling a cagey affair in Belgrade.

Corners Prediction

Neither side is likely to dominate possession to the point of manufacturing constant corner situations. Serbia will look to attack in spells but lack the cuteness in the final third to generate huge numbers from wide areas, and Greece tend to be compact and direct. Under 9.5 corners looks the sensible play here.

Over and Under Goals Prediction

Serbia’s attack is depleted, Greece’s defence is organised, and neither team is in a vein of form that screams goals. The recent friendly results for Greece suggest they are not shipping them at one end, and without Mitrovic or Vlahovic, Serbia simply do not have the firepower to force the issue. Under 2.5 goals is the call.

Cards Prediction

International football in a competitive group opener tends to bring out the edge in both sets of players, and with pride and points both on the line, expect a physically committed contest. A couple of bookings on each side feels realistic, but nothing over the top. Over 2.5 cards is a reasonable shout given the context and the competitive needle between these two nations.

Both Teams To Score (BTTS) Prediction

Given Serbia’s depleted attack and Greece’s defensive record across their last ten games, I am not convinced both sides find the net here. Serbia are missing their two best strikers, and Greece have shown the ability to keep things tight when they need to. BTTS No is the pick.

First Goalscorer Prediction

Charalampos Kostoulas is the man I am going for. He is in brilliant club form for Brighton right now with two goals and two assists in his last two Premier League outings, he will be hungry to end his international scoring drought, and with the Greeks looking to get him on the ball in dangerous areas, he has the platform to make his mark. A tasty price for someone this in-form at club level.

Bet Builder Tip

A Greek win in a low-scoring, one-sided affair makes complete sense given Serbia’s injury woes and Greece’s defensive resilience, and all three selections point to the same conclusion.

Final Match Prediction

Serbia are in a difficult place. Missing Mitrovic, Vlahovic and the defensive leadership of Milenkovic, this is a squad that looks short of its best even before you factor in some alarming recent results. Tadic’s return adds class and experience, but asking a 37-year-old to carry an understrength attack against a defensively organised Greek side is a significant ask.

Greece have quietly built something under Jovanovic, and their Nations League journey from League C to League A speaks to genuine progress. The head-to-head record favours the visitors, the injury list favours the visitors, and the recent form curve favours the visitors. I am backing Greece to make it three wins in a row against Serbia and start their League A campaign on the front foot. Final prediction: Serbia 0-1 Greece.

Featured Offer

bet365

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

Claim Offer →

Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. Registration required. Time limits and T&Cs apply. GambleAware.org #ad