Serbia vs Switzerland FIFA World Cup 2018 – Lineups, Predictions & Stats Preview 22 June 2018
In their first game, Serbia defeated their rivals of Costa Rica in a very tight game on the field and as many other teams, Serbia and Switzerland face off for the first time in a World Cup history.
Serbia Probable Lineups and Stats
Vladimir Stojkovic will start as a goalkeeper. The captain, Aleksandar Kolarov will lead the defence from the left back, assisted by Dusko Tosic and Fiorentina’s Nikola Milenkovic in central defence. Former Chelsea right-back, Branislav Ivanovic completes the back four. Manchester United’s Nemanja Matic and Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic will hold forte in defensive midfield. The offensive midfield will feature Adem Ljajic, Milinkovic-Savic and Southampton’s Dusan Tadic. To lead the attack will be Newcastle’s point man Aleksandar Mitrovic.
In the opening game, the Orlovi were not competitive in the midfield, a strength that their next opponent possesses. They will need to watch out as their midfield needs self-discipline. It would be good if they interchanged their midfield to 3-2 instead of the current 2-3 to make them more apprehensive in holding the ball and creating chances.
Switzerland Probable Lineups and Stats
The Swiss line up that began their World Cup campaign will remain the same. The Germany based goalkeeper, Sommer will make match 2, with AC Milan’s Ricardo Rodriguez and Arsenal-bound Stephan Lichtsteiner starting on the left and right back respectively. Manuel Akanji and Fabian Schar will close up the central defence. It is worth noting that this defence was instrumental in caving in of Brazil’s trio of Neymar, Jesus and Coutinho.
The midfield boasts of Arsenal Granit Xhaka, Udinese’s Valon Behrami and Blerim Dzemaili of Bologna. They are supported by the German-based Steven Zuber on the left wing and Xherdan Shaqiri on the right, while Haris Seferovic will be tasked to bring in the goals. The team did well in keeping the Brazilian midfield on toes, and if the same form is replicated, this next game could bore fruits.
Serbia v Switzerland – Head to Head
These two teams have never met in a World Cup, and it would be nice to see this silence broken. Switzerland’s best result was back in the 1934 and 1938 editions as quarter-finalists. The other time they reached this far was in 1954. They have reached the round of 16 3 times, including their 2014 outing. Serbia’s best tournament was in 1930 (as the Kingdom of Yugoslavia) and 1962 (as Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) when they finished 4th. They have reached the quarterfinals once (1990 as the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia) and the Round of 16 (1998 as Serbia and Montenegro) once. Their last World Cup tour ended at the group stages.Expert Tip
Both sides have very reliable, strong and talented players, many of them playing in famous club teams. The goal scored by Kolarov against Costa Rica was unbelievable, and he can again have the chance to find the net of the rival team. Serbia definitely has a wider range of such talented players in their ranks, but Switzerland looks to be organized much better overall. Our first recommendation for this most probably tight game is the Swiss team to win & Under 2.5 Goals. An interesting market for this event is Over/Under corners, we advise you to play Over 9.5 Corners, it looks a very great pick for betting.Interesting Facts and Information
- Switzerland haven’t lost in their last 7 games.
- Serbia wins 1st half in 27% of their games, Switzerland in 45% of their games.
- Switzerland’s recent performance is better than Serbia’s.
- In World Cup, Serbia has better performance than Switzerland.
- Serbia scores 2.2 goals when playing at home and Switzerland scores 1.17 goals when playing away (on average).
- When Serbia leads 1-0 at home, they win in 100% of their games.
- When Switzerland leads 0-1 away, they win in 100% of their games.
- When Serbia is down 0-1 home, they win 0% of their games.
- When Switzerland is down 1-0 away, they win 0% of their games.
- Switzerland have scored at least one goal for 5 consecutive games.
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