Sweden will be hosting Serbia on the third matchday of UEFA Nations League B, with both squads looking for their second win in this competition. With that said, it’s a good time to check out our Nations League odds series, which includes our Sweden-Serbia prediction and pick we have laid out below.
Sweden and Serbia both felt the wrath of one Erling Haaland in the UEFA Nations League this week. He scored one to win against Serbia and then scored two to secure Norway a win over Sweden. Now, the two nations of Sweden and Serbia meet in a game that could give us the primary challenger for the first place in this group. Sweden is still likely disappointed for missing out on the 2022 World Cup, while Serbia could use their direct qualification and the recent trashing of Slovenia as motivation to keep going with positive results. With a live fight for first in the group still on, both teams will definitely look to win this game.
Courtesy of FanDuel, here are the Sweden-Serbia Nations League odds:
Nations League Odds: Sweden-Serbia Odds
Sweden: (+170)
Serbia: (+165)
Draw: (+195)
Over: 2.5 (+120)
Under: 2.5 (-166)
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Why Sweden Could Win This Game
As briefly mentioned above, Sweden was unable to secure qualification for the 2022 World Cup. As second-place finishers in their group, the Swedes went through the Czech Republic but were stopped by Poland in the final of the UEFA qualification second round. With that disappointment behind them, they have to fight for a better spot in this competition and nothing would signal a strong desire towards the first place like beating Serbia here.
To be perfectly honest, the best bet that Sweden has to win this game is that their fans must be expecting more. There is no Zlatan Ibrahimović anymore in the Swedish team, but the expectation is higher than these kinds of results. Also, a huge motivation is that they were beaten by a Scandinavian rival in Norway, so they have to get in a position to seek revenge. If they were to lose here, all of their hopes of challenging for the first spot in the group would be effectively gone.
One of the major reasons is also their individual talent. While not as talented as some other nations, Sweden still has guys like Anthony Elanga, Alexander Isak, and Emil Forsberg, among other names. They also have a compact team that can hold their own against anyone on their day and they should have a chance against this Serbia team, especially if the Serbian team is not in perfect form.
Why Serbia Could Win This Game
When it comes to surprises, Serbia's 2-1 comeback win versus Portugal in November of last year to qualify for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is up there. They were even losing that game but turned it around as Aleksandar Mitrovic scored a winner in the 90th minute to win the game for the Serbians and send them to the World Cup. Since then, they have been playing great and despite the loss to Norway and a friendly loss to Denmark, it should be a Serbia squad with a ton of confidence entering this match.
Their best bet of winning this game is the strength of their roster. Coach Dragan Stojković has an impressive squad, headlined by Luka Jovic, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Dusan Tadic, Filip Kostic, and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, just to name a few. Even beyond these guys, the Serbian roster is full of players playing for some of the best sides in football and while that does not guarantee success on its own, it is a good prerequisite for a great national team.
Last but certainly not least, Serbia could win this match as it makes it more seriously. Given the fact that they are going to the World Cup, Serbia has limited time to prepare their squad for the competition. With not too many dates left for friendlies and other games, Serbia should treat every game as serious preparation for the World Cup, thus they will approach this game better than the Swedes who are effectively playing and preparing for nothing.
Final Sweden-Serbia Prediction & Pick
It is tough to say, as both teams have merit. Sweden is playing at home and has a ton of great players, but Serbia has arguably better players and also has a lot of confidence from beating some strong sides. At the end of the day, it is likely that talent will be the determinant factor. Due to this, our final Sweden-Serbia prediction is a Serbia win at Friends Arena in Solna, Sweden.
Final Sweden-Serbia Pick: Serbia (+165)
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