Serbia and the Netherlands meet in the second round of the UEFA Nations League, with Veljko Paunovic and Xavi Hernández preparing their sides for a significant international night.
Paunovic and Xavi name their selections
The two coaches have confirmed the players chosen for the fixture, with Serbia led by a midfield containing Gudelj, Lukic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, while the Dutch side features a familiar spine from defence to attack.
Serbia team
- Vanja Milinkovic-Savic
- Nedeljkovic, Babic, Pavlovic and Terzic
- Gudelj and Lukic
- Zivkovic and Stankovic
- Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
- Joveljic
Netherlands team
- Verbruggen
- Dumfries, Van Hecke, Van Dijk and Van de Ven
- Gravenberch, Veerman and Reijnders
- Summerville, Meerdink and Gakpo
Players available for Serbia and the Netherlands
Serbia’s listed group also includes Petrovic, Stankovic, Dragojevic, Maksimovic, Jovic, Tadic, Simic, Erakovic, Cvetkovic, Dzodic and Samardzic.
The Netherlands have Roefs, Flekken, J. Timber, Hato, Aké, Zirkzee, Lang, Taylor, Til, Q. Timber, Koopmeiners and Van Bommel among their named options.
A Nations League night with European weight
This is a UEFA Nations League match rather than a Champions League tie, but it carries the same familiar pressure of a midweek continental contest: national teams attempting to impose their identity quickly, with the second matchday offering little time to recover from an early setback.
For Paunovic’s Serbia, the task is to turn home organisation and physicality into a result against elite Dutch opposition. Xavi’s Netherlands arrive with a defence anchored by Virgil van Dijk and an attacking line including Cody Gakpo, as both teams seek to shape their group campaign from the outset.
