Though they failed to hold onto a two-goal lead and win their third successive Nations League fixture last time out, Serbia remain well placed to overhaul fellow contenders for promotion, Norway, coming into their final two games.

The Eagles had to settle for a 2-2 draw in Ljubljana, as they let maximum points slip against Slovenia in June, but had already beaten their hosts 4-1 in the reverse fixture before upsetting Sweden in Stockholm.

Only a 1-0 loss to the Norwegians separates them from top spot, but Dragan Stojkovic's side have already accumulated one more point than in their previous Nations League campaign, in which they avoided relegation just by virtue of goal difference.

Indeed, their progress in Europe's newest international competition reflects a wider trend, as Serbia are set to feature at another global finals at the end of the year.

After finishing clear of group favourites Portugal to clinch automatic qualification with a last-day victory - secured in the most dramatic fashion, through Aleksandar Mitrovic's 90th-minute winner - the Serbs entered the current Nations League campaign brimful of confidence.



译文(自动翻译仅供参考):

尽管塞尔维亚未能保持两球领先，并在上次的国家联赛中三连冠，但在最后两场比赛中，他们仍有望击败同为晋级竞争者的挪威。

老鹰不得不在卢布尔雅那2-2战平，因为他们在6月对阵斯洛文尼亚的比赛中丢分最多，但在斯德哥尔摩击败瑞典队之前，他们已经在反过来的比赛中4-1击败了东道主。

只有0 - 1输给挪威，他们才会与榜首失之交手，但德拉甘·斯托伊科维奇的球队已经比他们之前的国联联赛多积了一分，而在此前的国联联赛中，他们仅仅凭借净胜球就保级了。

事实上，他们在欧洲最新的国际比赛中的进步反映了一个更广泛的趋势，塞尔维亚将在今年年底的另一场全球决赛中脱颖而出。

塞尔维亚人在最后一天的比赛中以最具戏剧性的方式——米特罗维奇在第90分钟的绝杀——淘汰小组热门葡萄牙，自动锁定出线资格。塞尔维亚人满怀信心地进入了当前的国际联赛。