Latvia will take on Serbia on Saturday, 6 September as qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues in Europe.
Both sides are locked together on four points in Group K, but as Serbia have only played two matched compared to Latvia's three, they are in the driving seats heading into this one.
Both nations are battling with Albania in Group K to finish in second place and earn their place at the World Cup next summer.
As part of this week's round of World Cup qualifying betting tips, check out our Latvia vs Serbia prediction below.
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Latvia vs Serbia prediction: A comfortable night ahead for the visitors
Key Stats
- Latvia have won just one of their last eight matches – a 1-0 win over Andorra.
- Eight of Latvia's last ten losses have been by a margin of two goals or more.
- Serbia have kept a clean sheet in each of their last three matches.
Correct score prediction: Latvia 0-2 Serbia
Serbia are ranked 105 places above Latvia in the Fifa World Rankings, so this should be a comfortable night for the visitiors. With a big match against England on Tuesday, they won't want to exert themselves too much, though, so we shouldn't expect them to run riot on Saturday. A comfortable 2-0 win feels about right, especially as this has been the scoreline in two of their lat three victories.
Pre-game odds and win probability: Latvia are big underdogs
- HOME: 8/1 (9.00) – 11.1%
- DRAW: 17/4 (5.25) – 19%
- AWAY: 1/3 (1.33) – 75%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
The Latvia vs Serbia odds are weighted heavily in favour of the away team, which was always going to be the case given the gap between the two nations in the world rankings. Ladbrokes have given Serbia a 75% chance of winning the match on Saturday, while Latvia have been given an 11.1% chance of victory.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: A first-ever meeting
Incredibly, Serbia and Latvia have never played against each other before, making this the first-ever encounter. The nations' U-21 sides have met on four occasions, and three of those finished as draws, so there is some hope for the hosts on Saturday.
Latvia preview: Suspension rules out key player
Latvia will have to attempt to keep Serbia at bay on Saturday without Antonijs Cernomordijs, as the defender has already picked up two yellow cards during qualifying. The 64-cap man should return for their next qualifier against Albania on Tuesday night. Kristers Tobers is also unavailable through injury.
Predicted lineup: Zviedris (GK), Jaunzems, Balodis, Jagodinskis, Jurkovskis, Ciganiks, Varslavans, Saveljevs, Ikaunieks, Zelenkovs, Gutkovskis
Last five matches
- Latvia 1-1 Albania
- Latvia 0-0 Azerbaijan
- England 3-0 Latvia
- Andorra 0-1 Latvia
- Latvia 1-2 Armenia
Serbia preview: A chance for Petrovic
New Bournemouth goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic has the chance to stake his claim to be his country's number one goalkeeper on Saturday, as he steps up in place of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, who has asked to be left out so he can adapt to life at Napoli. Up top, the formidable duo of Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandr Mitrovic should both start.
Predicted lineup: Petrovic (GK), Stojic, Pavlovic, Milenkovic, Gudelj, Zivkovic, Samardzic, Lukic, Kostic, Mitrovic, Vlahovic
Last five matches
- Serbia 3-0 Andorra
- Albania 0-0 Serbia
- Serbia 2-0 Austria
- Austria 1-1 Serbia
- Serbia 0-0 Denmark
Player to watch: Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic was being offered around the footballing world this summer, with Juventus seemingly ready to part ways with the player. He now looks like he's set to stay, but with his contract expiring next summer, it's a big year for the 25-year-old to prove that he is worth another big club offering him a contract. So far, he has two goals in two substitute appearances for Juventus.