The Portuguese team has a chance to take the lead in
Group I and approach the Euro to be held in France in 2016 if he wins his match
against Serbia coach Radovan Curcic premieres.
With a squad full of veterans and Pepe in injury doubt,
all the Quinas want to continue on track a qualifying competition that began
with an unexpected defeat at home against Albania.
The Portuguese amended their mistake in the next two
games and won by the minimum Denmark and Armenia, allowing them to be in second
place in the group to a point of the Danes, who have a game in hand.
The match against Serbia will be the third official meeting
of the Portuguese coach Fernando Santos, although this time it will comply with
the first of two match ban imposed by FIFA for his unsportsmanlike conduct with
referees in his last game as Greece coach, during the World Cup in Brazil.
The only doubt for the game this Sunday is the
Luso-Brazilian defender Pepe, who coached conditioned for several sessions this
week due to an injury from which no details are known, but the Portuguese press
speculation that it could be a muscular problem.
Who certainly be on the pitch is his teammate and
captain, Cristiano Ronaldo, undisputed star of Portugal in the qualifiers.
Serbia reaches the meeting sunk in fourth place with only
one point after a career in this qualifying marked by the penalty imposed by
UEFA after his match against Albania, where violent incidents between
supporters of the two countries .
The 1-3 defeat against Denmark in the next game ended
resulting in the resignation of Dutch coach Dick Advocaat, who has replaced the
Serbian Radovan Curcic.
For his first match, Curcic can without defender
Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City), the last appointment was lost due to
injury.
Beside him are two players from Chelsea, the average
Matic and defense Ivanovic, who on Friday acknowledged respect imposed by the
presence of Ronaldo in the field.