World Cup 2022 Team Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Serbia

How will Serbia fare at the 2022 World Cup? Join @SamRCox_ as he looks at the Eagles in his everything you need to know guide ahead of this winter's competition...

Serbia History at the World Cup

Serbia’s World Cup history is inevitably complicated.

This is the nation’s third appearance as Serbia, but they featured as Serbia and Montenegro in 2006, and had nine previous World Cup entries as part of Yugoslavia, which included fourth place finishes in 1930 and 1962.

Overall, Serbia have won 18 of their 46 World Cup matches, but still have a positive goal difference in the competition.

Their biggest victory was as part of Yugoslavia, when they recorded an historic 9-0 thumping of Zaire back in 1974. They have been on the end of heavy defeats too, however, including a 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Argentina in 2006.

Their last three World Cup appearances have ended at the group stage, and they will be hoping to be more competitive in Qatar with a talented squad.

A last-minute goal from Aleksandar Mitrovic against Portugal on the final matchday secured an automatic place at this winter’s tournament, avoiding the jeopardy of the playoffs.

Serbia Nickname

The national symbol of Serbia is a double-headed eagle, so it is no surprise that their nickname is The Eagles or Orlovi. 

National identity has been a controversial topic since the breakup of Yugoslavia, with national anthems cheered and other nicknames used.

World Cup 2022 Group

Serbia were drawn alongside the favourites among World Cup winner odds in Brazil. Switzerland and Cameroon accompany them in Group G, which could prove to be the Group of Death in Qatar.

Taking any points from their first match would be massive for Serbia, but they could be playing catch up after facing the Canarinho.

Serbia Fixtures:

  • Serbia vs Brazil – 24th November 2022

  • Serbia vs Cameroon – 28th November 2022

  • Serbia vs Switzerland – 2nd December 2022

Serbia Kit World Cup 2022

The collar is a big dose of meh, but the Serbian home kit for the World Cup is fine. The red is always imposing, and the gold touches on the logos and sleeves bring a bit of life to an otherwise uninspiring design.

A plain white away shirt could have been boring. Instead, Puma plonked a bizarre gold outline in the middle of the torso. 

Who Is The Serbia Manager?

Former Red Star Belgrade midfielder Dragan Stojković is the current Serbia manager, having replaced Ljubiša Tumbaković after he failed to quality for Euro 2020. 

Stojković has had just two previous managerial jobs, spending almost six years with Nagoya Grampus and four-and-a-half years with Guangzhou R&F.

Best Serbia Player

Dusan Tadic has the pedigree. Dusan Vlahovic made the big-money move to Juventus. Aleksandar Mitrovic has started the Premier League season in great form. Sergej Milinković-Savić is one of Europe’s best midfielders.

Several players can make a case for being Serbia’s best – the Orlovi have plenty of top-end talent.

Serbia Odds at 2022 World Cup

Serbia are 11/2 in football betting to win Group G at the 2022 World Cup.

Third favourites in the section doesn’t mean they are out of it by any means, though, as Serbia are 9/2 to make the last eight, and have a couple of fringe Golden Boot candidates in Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic (50/1 and 66/1, respectively). 

Bet on Serbia at the 2022 World Cup with 888sport today!

 

October 13, 2022
World Cup 2022
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Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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World Cup 2022 Team Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Belgium

How will Belgium fare at the 2022 World Cup? Join @SamRCox_ as he looks at the Red Devils in his everything you need to know guide ahead of this winter's competition...

Belgium History at the World Cup

Qatar will be the 14th World Cup Belgium have taken part in and their third in succession after failing to quality for the 2006 and 2010 tournaments.

Their third-place finish in 2018 was the best they have ever performed at a World Cup, just beating their fourth place from 1986.

They have won 20 of their 48 World Cup matches all time, scoring 68 goals and conceding 72 in the process.

Belgium recorded two of their three biggest wins in 2018, beating Tunisia and Panama by three goals apiece, matching their 3-0 triumph over El Salvador in 1970.

On five occasions, they have lost by three goals, the most recent of which was against Poland in 1982.

Three Belgian players (Jean-Marie Pfaff, Michel Preud’homme, Thibaut Courtois) have won the Golden Glove, while Eden Hazard took home the Silver Ball four years ago.

Enzo Scifo has the most World Cup appearances for the country with 17 (Courtois will likely match Scifo’s tally if Belgium reach the quarters in Qatar). 

Belgium Nickname

Belgium’s most-used nickname is Die Roten Teufel, meaning ‘The Red Devils’, which was first used by a former manager over a century ago.

The English version of the nickname will be heard frequently throughout the tournament. Dutch and French versions of the name are also often used. 

World Cup 2022 Group

Belgium were fortunate in the World Cup draw, being matched up with Canada, Morocco and Croatia in Group F. The Red Devils are clear live betting favourites in all three fixtures, and will expect to have six points from their first two fixtures. 

Belgium Fixtures:

  • Belgium vs Canada – 23rd November 2022

  • Belgium vs Morocco – 27th November 2022

  • Belgium vs Croatia – 1st December 2022

Belgium Kit World Cup 2022

It is easy to look a bit tacky when using fire on a football shirt – Adidas have avoided that here, embracing the Red Devils nickname for eye-catching flames on some smart-looking black sleeves.

The away kit is a beauty. A white base could have been dull, but Adidas have gone bright with a multi-coloured pattern on the sleeves, which was also used for the logos.

Who Is The Belgium Manager?

Roberto Martinez is the Belgium manager for the 2022 World Cup, a position he has held since 2016.

Martinez hasn’t won any silverware with the Golden Generation, but he took the Belgians to the last four of the 2018 World Cup and the Nations League Finals. 

Winning well over 70% of his matches in charge, Martinez is the most successful manager in the country’s history.

Best Belgium Player

The best midfielder in the world and owner of the highest projected market value among all Belgians, Kevin De Bruyne is clearly Belgium’s best player. 

While some big names have retired and others have begun to decline, Belgium still have an immensely talented squad around De Bruyne, including Thibaut Courtois, Youri Tielemans, Eden Hazard and Yannick Carrasco.

Belgium Odds at 2022 World Cup

Belgium are the 1/2 favourites in World Cup betting to win Group F.

The Red Devils have an outside shot at lifting the trophy according to the bookies, with a price of 11/1 to go all the way. The most likely outcome, however, is a quarter final exit. 

Les Diables rouges are also represented in the Golden Boot market, with Romelu Lukaku at 20s and Kevin De Bruyne at 50s.

Bet on Belgium at the 2022 World Cup with 888sport today!

 

October 13, 2022
World Cup 2022
Body

Sam is a sports tipster, specialising in the Premier League and Champions League.

He covers most sports, including cricket and Formula One. Sam particularly enjoys those on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean – notably MLB and NBA.

Watching, writing and talking about sports betting takes up most of his time, whether that is for a day out at T20 Finals Day or a long night of basketball.

Having been writing for several years, Sam has been working with 888Sport since 2016, contributing multiple articles per week to the blog.

Sam Cox
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