On Saturday, 11 October, the Serbian national team will play against Albania. This is a crucial match for second place in Group K. The situation has developed in such a way that England has practically guaranteed itself the top position, and there are no other contenders for second place in this group. Currently, Serbia has the advantage: one point less, but a match in hand. Thus, logically, a draw would suit the hosts just fine.

So far, Serbia has been disappointing in the qualifying tournament. There hasn’t been a single standout match. The team started with a dreary draw in Albania - 0:0. They then thrashed Andorra at home – 3:0 and scraped a win against Latvia. The match against England turned into a nightmare – they conceded five goals at home. So, the only positive is the game against Andorra, but it's unlikely to be taken seriously given the disparity in class.

Serbia plays a fairly defensive system – with three central defenders. Moreover, it cannot be said that they have very attacking players on the flanks. Additionally, in midfield against England, they had Saša Lukić and Nemanja Maksimović – defensive-minded players. In attack, the main star remains Dušan Vlahović – an unstable leader, much like his club.

Albania actually performed better against England – they lost away 0:2. In all four other matches, the national team managed to earn points. They also had a thumping win against Andorra – 3:0, and struggled against the Latvians – 1:0 at home, while they did not win away – 1:1. This slip might turn out to be fateful – Serbia has the advantage here due to another potential victory over Latvia.

Albania's squad is undoubtedly weaker on average than Serbia's, but there isn't a colossal difference in class. In attack, they have a strong group of players, including those from the top five leagues. Cristian Arslani recently played for Inter – now he is at Torino, Armando Broja was a Chelsea striker but did not establish himself – he plays for Burnley. Albania’s wild card is MirLind Daku. The Rubin forward is in fiery form – competing for the title of top scorer in the Russian league. He could easily appear in the starting lineup.

Bookmakers are offering too low a coefficient on Serbia. The team currently lacks confidence, and the match will be very challenging and tense. The team will need to play under pressure. Another important psychological aspect is that a draw suits them in the standings. Of course, fans may not understand, but pragmatic football is highly likely. It is unlikely that Serbia is capable of thoroughly thrashing their opponent at this moment. The bookmakers also provide a decent coefficient even for Albania to win with a positive handicap. A second goalless draw is also highly likely.