Spain vs Serbia
Luis de la Fuente’s World Cup favourites, Spain, will continue their preparations on Friday when Veljko Paunovic brings Serbia to the Estadio de la Ceramica in Villarreal for an international friendly.
The 2024 European Champions will be the team to beat in Canada, Mexico, and the USA this summer, and they have been drawn in a fascinating group alongside Uruguay, Cape Verde, and Saudi Arabia. They will expect to go deep into the competition, if not all the way to the winners’ podium.
Serbia have been a competitive team over the past decade or so, but they have missed out on the summer showcase, so this game gives them a chance to regroup and maybe even show that they can still live among the very best.
But La Roja have incredible strength in depth and were unbeaten throughout 2025. And with a chance to impress La Fuente at the perfect time, his players will show the Serbs no mercy on Friday.
Talking Points
Spain’s eye is on the main prize
The International Friendly 2026 betting odds here at SBOTOP rank La Roja as the top team, with England, France, Brazil, and holders Argentina as the main rivals, and I believe Spain have the best squad. Barcelona’s attacking quartet of Lamine Yamal, Dani Olmo, Fermin Lopez, and Ferran Torres will strike fear into the hearts of any defence, and they are all in the squad to face Serbia, while Real Sociedad talisman Mikel Oyarzabal is always a man to watch because he loves the big occasions and was La Roja’s goal hero in the 2024 European final.
At the back, Athletic Bilbao keeper Unai Simon holds the No. 1 spot with Barcelona’s 2025 recruit Joan Garcia pushing as his main challenger. And in a defence which boasts Aymeric Laporte and Robin Le Normand, this is a team which can build quickly from the back. Chelsea wing-back Marc Cucurella is a combative defender and a serious attacking threat. The Blues have been struggling of late, and Cucurella might be happy to get back in the La Roja colours for a week before he returns to help Chelsea in their Top 5 bid.
With Manchester City star Rodri fit and fighting again, the midfield, with Fabian Ruiz and Marcos Llorente alongside him, will look to dominate the key areas, protect the defence, and support for the attack. This is a group which will take some beating.
Serbia’s time to rebuild
Having qualified for the World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022, the Eagles missed out this year, and their fans will have to make do with watching the International Friendly 2026 updates from afar. The Eagles were drawn in a tough group alongside England and Denmark, starting with a 1-0 loss to the formidable Three Lions. In their last group game, they had to beat Denmark to make the play-offs, but Serbia drew 0-0 and bowed out.
Manager Paunovic replaced the dismissed Dragan Stojkovic in October with the nation third and with just two games remaining against England and Denmark. So, the new man had little chance to make an immediate impact, losing his first game to England at Wembley Stadium. He has inherited an experienced squad, captained by striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, but Paunovic has also picked some younger stars in his squad and can now begin to overhaul his first 11 with an eye on the 2028 European Championships and beyond to the 2030 World Cup.
Milan star Strahinja Pavlovic is a quality introduction to the centre of defence. And while the midfield still has experienced campaigners Filip Kostic and Sasa Lukic in its ranks, there is some new blood there too, with Club Brugge’s holding midfielder Aleksandar Stankovic and Atalanta’s creative midfielder Lazar Samardzic both making a strong case to start against La Roja.
Former Fulham striker Mitrovic, now at Al-Rayyan, is Serbia’s all-time top scorer with 63 goals from 104 internationals. At 31 years of age, he still has plenty to offer, and he can teach Lazio’s 22-year-old star Petar Ratkov a thing or two about leading the line, while Luka Jovic, now at AEK Athens, is still in the frame as a supporting striker with a modest tally of 11 goals in 50 internationals.
History
Serbia have failed to beat Spain in five attempts. But they have earned three draws, though the last time the two nations met in a Nations League clash in 2024, La Roja ran out 3-0 winners.
Spain were unbeaten in 2025 with six wins and four draws, while Serbia won four, drew three, and lost just once last year.
Betting Tip
The best team in the world according to the latest FIFA world rankings, La Roja are a full 38 places ahead of the Eagles and are irresistible at odds of 1.31 to win this clash, with the draw at 5.50 and a Serbia win at 11.00. But I’m going for goals.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR (⭐) BETS ARE WORTH:
⭐⭐⭐= €20 (HIGHLY CONFIDENT)
⭐⭐= €10 (CONFIDENT)
⭐= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT)
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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