Sports Mole previews Sunday’s World Cup Qualifying – Europe clash between Serbia and Latvia, including predictions, team news and possible lineups.
Guaranteed to finish third and fourth respectively, Serbia and Latvia conclude their World Cup 2026 Qualifying Group K campaigns at the Dubocica Stadium on Sunday.
The visitors to Leskovac have been firmly eliminated from World Cup contention, but all is not lost for the Eagles, in spite of their dampening 2-0 defeat to England on Thursday night.
Match preview
Lamenting the absence of all-time record scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic through injury, a new-look Serbia side – under the tutelage of new boss Veljko Paunovic for the first time – were powerless against England’s staunch defence in woeful Wembley conditions.
Two fine finishes from Arsenal pair Bukayo Saka and Eberechi Eze either side of the half-time whistle, coupled with Albania getting the job done against Andorra on the same evening, ensured that Serbia could no longer finish in the top two of their World Cup Qualifying section.
However, while Paunovic’s men will not make the playoffs via a second-placed finish, the Eagles could still fall into a UEFA Nations League-sized safety net, as their ranking from the most recent 2024-25 tournament may propel them into the next round.
The hosts need several results to go their way for that scenario to materialise, though – the four best-ranked Nations League group winners who finish outside the top two of their WC Qualifying groups get priority, after which the playoff places pass down to the highest-ranked non-group winners if not all spots are filled.
Whatever happens on Sunday is therefore largely trivial for the Serbians, although the hosts will set out to avoid a third consecutive home defeat without scoring, having fallen 5-0 and 1-0 to England and Albania respectively on their own turf since September.
While Serbia’s World Cup dream could still become a reality, Latvia knew that they were only playing for personal pride when the November international break came around, having collected a paltry five points from their first seven Group K games.
Nine points below second-placed Albania and a whopping 16 shy of runaway leaders England, the 11 Wolves’ wait for a first-ever World Cup appearance as an independent nation – and second major tournament appearance after Euro 2004 – will go on for a couple more years.
Paolo Nicolato‘s men took to the field in friendly action on Thursday night, playing out a forgettable goalless draw with North Macedonia in a result that extended their winless run to eight matches in all competitions, including six straight games in Group K.
Latvia edged out Andorra 1-0 in their opening World Cup 2026 Qualifying fixture, but the visitors have since collected just two more points – both of which have come at home – and scored just three more goals in their subsequent six fixtures.
Nicolato’s side were also bested 1-0 by Serbia when the Eagles visited Riga on September 6 – Dusan Vlahovic scored the only goal of the game that day – but Sunday’s showdown will mark Latvia’s first visit to Serbian territory since the hosts gained independence.
Serbia World Cup Qualifying – Europe form:
Latvia World Cup Qualifying – Europe form:
Latvia form (all competitions):
Team News
Paunovic’s game plan for Serbia’s trip to England was ripped up before the half-time whistle blew, as midfielder Ivan Ilic was forced off through injury inside just 39 minutes after suffering a painful-looking knee twist.
The Torino man will surely be spared on Sunday, when Paunovic should select Lazar Samardzic to step in for his Serie A colleague, after opting to replace him with the more defensive-minded Aleksandar Stankovic in London.
The Mitrovic-less hosts are in good shape otherwise, and with the ex-Fulham forward still absent, Paunovic should side with Vlahovic to lead the line over Real Madrid flop Luka Jovic once again.
Meanwhile, Latvia have a pair of defensive disciplinary concerns to work around for Sunday’s game, as Andrejs Ciganiks and captain Antonijs Cernomordijs are both suspended for an accumulation of yellow cards.
Ciganiks’s ban could lead to a recall for Maksims Tonisevs – scorer of an unfortunate own goal in last month’s 5-0 loss to England – while Vitalijs Jagodinskis, who plays his club football in Cambodia, should fill in for Cernomordijs.
Serbia possible starting lineup:
Rajkovic; Mimovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic, Terzic; Gudelj, Lukic; Zivkovic, Samardzic, Kostic; Vlahovic
Latvia possible starting lineup:
Zviedris; Savalnieks, Balodis, Jagodinskis, Jurkovskis, Tonisevs; Ikaunieks, Zelenkovs, Vapne, Daskevics; Gutkovskis
We say: Serbia 2-0 Latvia
Only two cracking strikes got the better of Serbia at Wembley in midweek, and the Eagles are unlikely to be troubled by a shot-shy Latvia outfit on their own turf.
Even without Mitrovic doing what he does best up front, Paunovic should still claim his first senior international victory at the second attempt, although Serbia face a nervous wait to learn their playoff fate.
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