The second round of Group E action in the World Cup closes Friday afternoon as Serbia and Switzerland square off, with the Swiss as slight favorites on the soccer odds at Mybookie Sportsbook. Serbia will advance to the knockout rounds with a win over Switzerland, but the Swiss won’t advance if they win.
If you want to keep up with everything around the 2018 FIFA World Cup, be sure to check our Soccer news page on a daily basis, which includes previews, reviews, predictions, and more.
Serbia controlled large parts of the opening 45 minutes, although the closest they came to actually break the deadlock was an acrobatic overhead kick from Aleksandar Mitrovic a minute before the interval. In a disappointing first half, Sergei Milinkovic-Savic was Serbia’s most compelling player, showcasing a remarkable ability to retrieve seemingly lost situations through telescopic legs and slick footwork. One burst beyond the defense brought a good chance and a save from Keylor Navas, although Milinkovic-Savic was ruled to be offside; later on, he was flagged again when forcing the Real Madrid keeper to repel a smart overhead kick.
Led by Branislav Ivanovic, who now has a record 104 caps for Serbia, three members of the back four have over 200 national appearances between them and an average age of 33. The fourth member, 20-year-old Nikola Milenkovic, made his competitive debut for Serbia against Los Ticos.
After losing five consecutive World Cup games between 1998 and 2010, Serbia has since won two of their last three in the competition (L1). Serbia has won their opening game at a World Cup tournament for the first time since 1998 when they did so as Yugoslavia against Iran (1-0). Serbia has now won all four of their World Cup games against teams from the CONCACAF region, with the first three of those coming as Yugoslavia between 1950 and 1998.
Two draws in its remaining matches could be enough to secure a spot in the round of 16 for Serbia, but with Brazil waiting in its last Group E game, beating the Swiss would take the pressure off Mladen Krstajic’s team.
“If we do the math and start playing for a draw then it will not be successful,” Kolarov said. “Of course, we want to win.”
heavy favorites — Brazil and Spain.
If you want to keep up with everything around the 2018 FIFA World Cup, be sure to check our Soccer news page on a daily basis, which includes previews, reviews, predictions, and more.
Serbia v Switzerland 2018 World Cup Odds & Prediction
👍🇷🇸 #SrcemSvim pic.twitter.com/UFu3WyLTCR
— Fudbalski savez Srbije | FA Serbia (@FSSrbije) 20 de junio de 2018
- When: Friday, 2 PM ET
- Where: Kaliningrad Stadium, Kaliningrad, Russia
- TV / Stream: Fox / Fox Sports Go
- 2018 World Cup Odds: Switzerland +157 / Serbia +191 / Draw +197 (total 2)
Brazil v Costa Rica 2018 World Cup Betting Preview for Group E
Why Bet on Serbia?
- Confederation: UEFA
- Head coach: Mladen Krstajić
- Captain: Aleksandar Kolarov
- FIFA Ranking: 34
Serbia controlled large parts of the opening 45 minutes, although the closest they came to actually break the deadlock was an acrobatic overhead kick from Aleksandar Mitrovic a minute before the interval. In a disappointing first half, Sergei Milinkovic-Savic was Serbia’s most compelling player, showcasing a remarkable ability to retrieve seemingly lost situations through telescopic legs and slick footwork. One burst beyond the defense brought a good chance and a save from Keylor Navas, although Milinkovic-Savic was ruled to be offside; later on, he was flagged again when forcing the Real Madrid keeper to repel a smart overhead kick.
Led by Branislav Ivanovic, who now has a record 104 caps for Serbia, three members of the back four have over 200 national appearances between them and an average age of 33. The fourth member, 20-year-old Nikola Milenkovic, made his competitive debut for Serbia against Los Ticos.
After losing five consecutive World Cup games between 1998 and 2010, Serbia has since won two of their last three in the competition (L1). Serbia has won their opening game at a World Cup tournament for the first time since 1998 when they did so as Yugoslavia against Iran (1-0). Serbia has now won all four of their World Cup games against teams from the CONCACAF region, with the first three of those coming as Yugoslavia between 1950 and 1998.
Two draws in its remaining matches could be enough to secure a spot in the round of 16 for Serbia, but with Brazil waiting in its last Group E game, beating the Swiss would take the pressure off Mladen Krstajic’s team.
“If we do the math and start playing for a draw then it will not be successful,” Kolarov said. “Of course, we want to win.”
Projected Line-Up
- 1-V. Stojković
- 3-D. Tošić
- 6-B. Ivanović
- 11-A. Kolarov
- 15-N. Milenković
- 21-N. Matić
- 10-D. Tadić
- 4-L. Milivojević
- 20-S. Milinković-Savić
- 22-A. Ljajić
- 9-A. Mitrović
