Serbia was one of the scariest teams coming out of Pot 3 in the World Cup draw, so seeing it drawn with Brazil and Switzerland makes Group G one of the strongest in the entire tournament. But the Serbians won’t be deterred from a challenge after impressing during an inspiring qualifying run. Former standouts like Nemanja Matić, Aleksandar Kolarov and Branislav Ivanović have all retired internationally, but a devastating attack and veteran midfield is expected to lead the way in Qatar.
After missing out on the Euros for the fifth straight tournament (Serbia actually hasn’t qualified for the Euros since it was known as Yugoslavia), Serbia managed to qualify for its second straight World Cup. And it didn’t just sneak in—Serbia went undefeated in eight qualifying matches to top a group that also featured Portugal, leading the group with 18 goals scored.
Serbia is managed by former Yugoslavia midfielder Dragan Stojković, who captained the team at the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000. Since he took over before World Cup qualifying, Serbia has only lost three of 20 games. But even more impressive is that Serbia has conceded two goals in only four of those games despite an inexperienced defense that lost its aging stars. Still, it remains to be seen how it will hold up against an attack like Brazil’s.
