Serbia and Republic of Ireland are expected to be battling it out for the other of the top two spots in Group A behind group favourites, Portugal.
This opening match of the group in Belgrade at the Stadion Rajko Mitić is expected to be a cagey affair with neither team wanting to lose ground to their opponents.
Squad announced for FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers29-player squad named for the three matches with first senior call-up for Gavin Bazunu 👏24/03 | 🇷🇸 v 🇮🇪27/03 | 🇮🇪 v 🇱🇺30/03 | 🇶🇦 v 🇮🇪#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/JMJN0VNsGo— FAIreland ⚽️🇮🇪 (@FAIreland) March 18, 2021
Squad announced for FIFA 2022 World Cup qualifiers29-player squad named for the three matches with first senior call-up for Gavin Bazunu 👏24/03 | 🇷🇸 v 🇮🇪27/03 | 🇮🇪 v 🇱🇺30/03 | 🇶🇦 v 🇮🇪#COYBIG pic.twitter.com/JMJN0VNsGo
Serbia’s recent results suggest that the hosts are no more than slight favourites for this clash having managed to win just two of their last 10 matches overall in all competitions which were gained in victories over Norway in a European Championship qualifier and a resounding 5-0 home win against Russia in the Nations League.
Since that crushing win over Russia though, Serbia have been held to two 0-0 draws on the trot by Dominican Republic and Panama, both in international friendlies, while at home in World cup qualifiers, Serbia are unbeaten in their last eight matches.
Republic of Ireland’s brief will be a simple one ahead of this Group A opener away at Serbia and that is to ensure they come away with at least a point here.
Stephen Kenny’s side look to have their work cut out as the visitors are without a win from their last nine matches in all competitions.
Within this average looking sequence of results are five defeats and four draws but it’s also interesting to note that eight of these last nine matches have also resulted in under 2.5 goals being scored.
The Irish have contributed to these low-scoring games by failing to score in seven of these nine matches and it seems like their best bet in Belgrade is to hold out for a draw here.
Results away from home have also been poor as Ireland have managed to win just one of their last 15 matches on their travels in all competitions, so an away win in Serbia looks fairly unlikely.
However, 13 of these 15 away matches have resulted in under 2.5 goals and this looks an attractive option for this Group A opener.
Three of the previous five meetings have resulted in low-scoring affairs and another low-scoring encounter could unfold here, especially between two sides who have struggled for results in recent times.