World Cup 2022: Country profile - Serbia

Factfile on Serbia who are in World Cup Group G:

Best World Cup performance: Group stage in 2010 and 2018 (Yugoslavia reached semi-finals in 1930 and 1962)

Other notable performances: Yugoslavia were European Championship runners-up in 1960 and 1968

Main clubs: Red Star Belgrade, Partizan Belgrade

How they qualified: Winners of European qualifying Group A ahead of Portugal

Coach: Dragan Stojkovic, 57, was appointed in February last year to succeed Ljubisa Tumbakovic, who was sacked after Serbia failed to qualify for Euro 2020. He then led Serbia through an unbeaten qualifying campaign, with a last-gasp win in Portugal in their final game seeing them top their group. Stojkovic's Serbia also topped their Nations League group to win promotion to the top tier. Stojkovic made 84 appearances for the former Yugoslavia between 1983 and 2001, and was one of the first top-tier European players to venture into Japanese football. There he spent eight years at J-League side Nagoya Grampus Eight, playing under Arsene Wenger. Briefly served as chairman of Red Star Belgrade, for whom he also played. Coached in Japan and China before taking his current job.

Key player: Serbia have formidable attacking options, nore more so than Dusan Vlahovic. The 22-year-old forward is a robust presence up front but does not lack for pace or skill. After starting out at Partizan Belgrade, he joined Fiorentina and quickly became a prolific goal-scorer in Serie A. That earned him a 70 million-euro move to Juventus last January. In Turin he has so far averaged almost a goal every second game despite his club's recent struggles. Given his age, his peak years still lie in the future, but Serbia will hope he thrives on the World Cup stage in Qatar.

November 24: Brazil v Serbia

November 28: Cameroon v Serbia

December 2: Serbia v Switzerland

Probable squad

Goalkeepers: Predrag Rajkovic (Mallorca/ESP), Marko Dmitrovic (Sevilla/ESP), Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (Torino/ITA)

Defenders: Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen/GER), Strahinja Pavlovic (Red Bull Salzburg/AUT), Strahinja Erakovic (Red Star Belgrade), Erhan Masovic (Bochum/GER), Serdjan Babic (Almeria/ESP), Stefan Mitrovic (Getafe/ESP), Filip Mladenovic (Legia Warsaw/POL), Aleksa Terzic (Fiorentina/ITA) 

Midfielders: Nemanja Gudelj (Sevilla/ESP), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Lazio/ITA), Sasa Lukic (Torino/ITA), Filip Kostic (Juventus/ITA), Uros Racic (Braga/POR), Nemanja Maksimovic (Getafe/ESP), Ivan Ilic (Verona/ITA), Andrija Zivkovic (PAOK/GRE), Darko Lazovic (Verona/ITA)

Forwards: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham/ENG), Stefan Mitrovic (Red Star Belgrade), Filip Djuricic (Sampdoria/ITA), Nemanja Radonjic (Torino/ITA), Luka Jovic (Fiorentina/ITA), Dusan Tadic (Ajax/NED), Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus/ITA)