Producing impressive results in their respective Sportsbook World Cup fixtures, Serbia and Switzerland meet on Matchday 2 with some incredibly crucial Group E points on the line.
After Sportsbook the Serbs as +205 moneyline underdogs, sportsbooks quickly changed their tune on this match and Serbia is now installed as the +165 favorite at Sportsbook with the Swiss coming back as +195 underdogs.
SHARK BITES
Switzerland and independent Serbia have never met in an international match.
Since betting lines opened, Serbia’s moneyline has dropped 40 cents.
Serbia and Switzerland combined for 5 bookings in their Sportsbook games.
Betting Odds for Serbia vs Switzerland
A pick in spread markets, Sportsbooks expect this matchup to be as close as it looks on paper and while there’s only been four at this tournament, the draw is definitely worth consideration. Leading Group E, Serbia would be thrilled with a point in this contest as it would more than likely lock up their spot in the knockout round.
The total for this one opened at 2 and it has not moved. OVER is priced at +105 but given the scoring trends in this tournament and the defense-first mentalities of both these teams, a result with more than two goals seems like a stretch barring a VAR disaster.
Kosovo Connections
Serbia and Switzerland have several contentious political connections and while I wouldn’t normally handicap a game on that basis, it matters here. Swiss players Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and Valon Behrami all fled the Balkan region when Serbia took their home country of Kosovo to war after it declared independence from Serbia in 2008.
All three men will have extra motivation to earn a victory in the name of not only Switzerland, but Kosovo as well.
This match also has the potential to become extremely chippy with tensions high on both sides so you might want to browse the props board for a total bookings bet and see what it’s paying for the OVER.
Best Bets for Serbia vs Switzerland
OVER 3.5 bookings in this game is paying -115 and I think that could cash easily. These squads combined for five total bookings in their Sportsbook matches and both sides possess some of the most notorious yellow card offenders in football.
I will also be betting my first draw of the tournament here as I see the majority of the game being played in the middle of the field.