Serbia without Mitrovic: Is the surprise against Austria?

Serbia without Mitrovic: Is the surprise against Austria?

In the football world, it is bubbling: Serbia's national team will meet the Austrian team on Thursday in Vienna on Thursday. Team boss Dragan Stojkovic has to fight with a painful reality in preparations for the decisive play-off first leg of the Nations League-his team has to do without several key players. The lack of Aleksandar Mitrovic, the Serbs' record scorer, is particularly shocking. The striker of Al-Hilal recently fought with health problems and will therefore not be in the squad, as Kosmo . In addition, other players are also missing due to barriers, including Aleksa Terzic and Strahinja Pavlovic.

Stojkovic expressed itself optimistically and explained: "I would sign a tie". His hope is mainly on the return of the blocked players in the second leg on Sunday in Belgrade. In Vienna, the Serbian team still wants to show its strength. The Austrian team under coach Ralf Rangnick is known for their aggressive style of play that Stojkovic sees as a challenge: "We have to show our quality to get a good result," said the trainer. In the past there has already been a test game opponent between the two teams, in which Serbia was lost 1: 2, and Stojkovic emphasized that the current encounter is much more important because it is about a place in League A, for which both teams fight.

tension guaranteed!

The encounter is transferred to ORF 1 at 8:45 p.m. and culminates in a decisive phase for both teams. While Serbia has to do without his most important players, Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus plays a key role in attack to break through Austria's defense. Stojkovic will almost have to reorganize the complete defense, which makes the challenge for the "Orlovi" (Adler) even greater. In Vienna, around 10,000 to 15,000 Serbian fans are also expected who will support their team loudly. "There are two important games," concluded Stojkovic, and the decision on the ascent will be made in Belgrade on March 23. It remains to be seen how the situation will develop - it promises to be an exciting duel.