Serbia profile: All you need to know about Ireland's opponents for the opening World Cup qualifier

Here is the lowdown of the Republic of Ireland's opponents on a big night for Stephen Kenny and his players.

A general view of Stadion Rajko Mitic prior to the World Cup qualifier clash between the Republic of Ireland and Serbia. Picture: Stephen McCarthy

Belgrade, just like it did last time four-and-a-half years ago, marks the starting point for Ireland’s World Cup qualification quest. In that 2017 opener, Serbia dominated Ireland to lead 2-1 before Daryl Murphy nicked a point. Serbia recovered to win the group.

Today, Serbia sit 30th in Fifa’s rankings, 12 places above Ireland. While Ireland netted just eight goals across their European and Nations League campaigns, the flamboyant Serbs hit 26. Thankfully, for Ireland’s sake, they have a tendency to concede, too.