Serbia
WC Qualification Europe
Group Stage
Wed , Mar 24 , 2021 20:45
3 - 2
Republic of Ireland
Serbia
Republic of Ireland
3 - 2
Serbia host Republic of Ireland at Rajko Mitic Stadium (Belgrade) in the Group A 1st round match of the UEFA World Cup qualifications and the game kicks of at 7.45 pm (UK) on Wednesday, March 24th. Read our reasons for Serbia vs Republic of Ireland prediction and betting tips.
The Republic of Ireland's road to the next 2022 World Cup in Qatar will start in Serbia. New Serbia manager Dragan Stojkovic says he's eager for the national team to prove their quality, beginning with their clash on Wednesday. This will be the second time in successive World Cup campaigns that Ireland kick off in the Balkan country. Martin O'Neill's side claimed a 2-2 draw in Belgrade back in September of 2016 but defeat to the Serbs in Dublin meant they had to settle for second place and a playoff they ultimately lost to Denmark.
Serbia manager Dragan Stojkovic could be without a number of his squad members for Wednesday's opening World Cup qualifier because of Covid-19 rules. As it stands, French-based trio Predrag Rajkovic, Stefan Mitrovic and Mihailo Ristic will be unavailable. Stojkovic, who took over earlier this month after Serbia failed to reach Euro 2020, also vowed that the country's fortunes would improve following what he called a "shambolic performance" against Scotland in the play-off final defeat in November.
Formally appointed as Serbia manager only last week, Stojkovic has put his own stamp on the squad, axing some under-achieving stars and adding in some uncapped talents who can raise standards after a poor effort in the race for Euro 2020 qualification. The Serbia boss says he's enduring a "sweet torment" over who'll be picked for the game in Belgrade. Dusan Vlahovic has scored 12 goals in Serie A this season, Djordje Despotovic has ten to his name in the Russian Premier Liga for Rubin Kazan, while Luka Jovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic aren't strangers to goal either.
On the other hand, after a five-month hiatus, Stephen Kenny's Ireland is back in action. Their opening match in Serbia will be followed by a home qualifier against Luxembourg and a friendly against Qatar. Considering the form shown in 2020, this will be a key qualifying campaign for the Ireland boss. He will certainly need to see some immediate improvements, making his squad selection in midweek vitally important. It makes for a difficult first assignment for Stephen Kenny who has yet to win a game after eight matches in charge.
A number of players have already been ruled out, with the likes of John Egan, James McClean, Jack Byrne, and Callum O'Dowda set to be unavailable. Liverpool's goalkeeper Caoimhín Kelleher has also been included despite a recent fitness issue and looks likely to make his debut against Serbia, with Randolph also absent. The Boys in Green host Luxembourg three days later and a positive result here would go a long way to positioning them nicely for the rest of the campaign.
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Serbia and the Republic of Ireland last met in a World Cup qualifier in September 2017, with Serbia winning 1-0 at the Aviva Stadium with a goal from Aleksandar Kolarov. Moreover, Ireland have failed to win any of their last five games against the White Eagles (D3, L2). Serbia have lost just one of their last 13 matches in World Cup qualifying (W8, D4), while Ireland haven’t lost their opening match in a World Cup qualifying campaign since the 1978 World Cup qualifying campaign. However, The Boys in Green haven’t scored a single goal in any of their last seven matches in all competitions, their longest ever goalless stretch.
We expect a low-scoring affair here, so the BettingKick’s Serbia vs Republic of Ireland prediction is: Under 2.5 goals
3-4-2-1
4-3-3
Serbia
Republic of Ireland
12.10.2021. | Serbia | VS | Azerbaijan | 3-1 |
W
|
09.10.2021. | Luxembourg | VS | Serbia | 0-1 |
W
|
07.09.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Serbia | 1-1 |
D
|
04.09.2021. | Serbia | VS | Luxembourg | 4-1 |
W
|
01.09.2021. | Qatar | VS | Serbia | 0-4 |
W
|
11.06.2021. | Japan | VS | Serbia | 1-0 |
L
|
07.06.2021. | Serbia | VS | Jamaica | 1-1 |
D
|
30.03.2021. | Azerbaijan | VS | Serbia | 1-2 |
W
|
27.03.2021. | Serbia | VS | Portugal | 2-2 |
D
|
24.03.2021. | Serbia | VS | Republic of Ireland | 3-2 |
W
|
12.10.2021. | Serbia | VS | Azerbaijan | 3-1 |
W
|
04.09.2021. | Serbia | VS | Luxembourg | 4-1 |
W
|
07.06.2021. | Serbia | VS | Jamaica | 1-1 |
D
|
27.03.2021. | Serbia | VS | Portugal | 2-2 |
D
|
24.03.2021. | Serbia | VS | Republic of Ireland | 3-2 |
W
|
18.11.2020. | Serbia | VS | Russia | 5-0 |
W
|
12.11.2020. | Serbia | VS | Scotland | 1-1 |
D
|
11.10.2020. | Serbia | VS | Hungary | 0-1 |
L
|
06.09.2020. | Serbia | VS | Turkey | 0-0 |
D
|
17.11.2019. | Serbia | VS | Ukraine | 2-2 |
D
|
09.10.2021. | Luxembourg | VS | Serbia | 0-1 |
W
|
07.09.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Serbia | 1-1 |
D
|
01.09.2021. | Qatar | VS | Serbia | 0-4 |
W
|
11.06.2021. | Japan | VS | Serbia | 1-0 |
L
|
30.03.2021. | Azerbaijan | VS | Serbia | 1-2 |
W
|
29.01.2021. | Panama | VS | Serbia | 0-0 |
D
|
25.01.2021. | Dominican Republic | VS | Serbia | 0-0 |
D
|
15.11.2020. | Hungary | VS | Serbia | 1-1 |
D
|
14.10.2020. | Turkey | VS | Serbia | 2-2 |
D
|
08.10.2020. | Norway | VS | Serbia | 1-1 |
W
|
12.10.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Qatar | 4-0 |
W
|
09.10.2021. | Azerbaijan | VS | Republic of Ireland | 0-3 |
W
|
07.09.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Serbia | 1-1 |
D
|
04.09.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Azerbaijan | 1-1 |
D
|
01.09.2021. | Portugal | VS | Republic of Ireland | 2-1 |
L
|
08.06.2021. | Hungary | VS | Republic of Ireland | 0-0 |
D
|
03.06.2021. | Andorra | VS | Republic of Ireland | 1-4 |
W
|
30.03.2021. | Qatar | VS | Republic of Ireland | 1-1 |
D
|
27.03.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Luxembourg | 0-1 |
L
|
24.03.2021. | Serbia | VS | Republic of Ireland | 3-2 |
L
|
12.10.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Qatar | 4-0 |
W
|
07.09.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Serbia | 1-1 |
D
|
04.09.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Azerbaijan | 1-1 |
D
|
27.03.2021. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Luxembourg | 0-1 |
L
|
18.11.2020. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Bulgaria | 0-0 |
D
|
11.10.2020. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Wales | 0-0 |
D
|
06.09.2020. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Finland | 0-1 |
L
|
18.11.2019. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Denmark | 1-1 |
D
|
14.11.2019. | Republic of Ireland | VS | New Zealand | 3-1 |
W
|
10.09.2019. | Republic of Ireland | VS | Bulgaria | 3-1 |
W
|
09.10.2021. | Azerbaijan | VS | Republic of Ireland | 0-3 |
W
|
01.09.2021. | Portugal | VS | Republic of Ireland | 2-1 |
L
|
08.06.2021. | Hungary | VS | Republic of Ireland | 0-0 |
D
|
03.06.2021. | Andorra | VS | Republic of Ireland | 1-4 |
W
|
30.03.2021. | Qatar | VS | Republic of Ireland | 1-1 |
D
|
24.03.2021. | Serbia | VS | Republic of Ireland | 3-2 |
L
|
15.11.2020. | Wales | VS | Republic of Ireland | 1-0 |
L
|
12.11.2020. | England | VS | Republic of Ireland | 3-0 |
L
|
14.10.2020. | Finland | VS | Republic of Ireland | 1-0 |
L
|
08.10.2020. | Slovakia | VS | Republic of Ireland | 0-0 |
D
|
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Tucker grew up in London, more precisely in West London. But, unlike many locals, he doesn’t like big and famous teams from that part of the city. Instead, ever since he was a kid, Tucker was passionate for lower divisions. This passion was born when his uncle from Reading took him to the local derby with Aldershot Town when he was 6 and since that moment football was running through his veins. He became a huge fan of the Royals for life, and whenever he could, he goes to Madejski Stadium to enjoy the game. Apart from being a job, his sports knowledge also becomes more than useful when he is betting live on high stakes which is also his passion.