Serbia vs Switzerland, LIVE World Cup 2018: Xherdan Shaqiri completes Swiss comeback – latest score and updates from Kaliningrad
Follow all the latest news from the Group E clash in Kaliningrad
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Your support makes all the difference.Serbia will be hoping to seal their qualification for the World Cup knockout stage with a victory against Switzerland in Kaliningrad.
Mladen Krstajic’s men were unlucky not to beat Costa Rica more convincingly in their first match, and they may have to be more ruthless when they face a stubborn Swiss side that successfully stifled tournament favourites Brazil to earn a 1-1 draw.
Switzerland’s defence is their biggest strength, and they will have identified Lazio playmaker Sergej Milinkovic-Savic as a key threat to their hopes of victory.
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What time is it?
Serbia vs Switzerland kicks off at 7pm.
Where can I watch it?
The game will be shown live on BBC One. It will also be shown on the BBC website.
Odds
Serbia: 9/5
Switzerland: 47/23
Draw: 20/9
Prediction
Serbia 1-0 Switzerland: Neither of these teams are full of goals but Serbia’s greater creativity in attack should provide the breakthrough they need at some stage.
One of Aleksandar Mitrovic's forward partners at Fulham last season has noted the striker's worth to Serbia at this World Cup.
Let's hope the two are together again at the Cottage next season.
SECOND HALF KICK-OFF: A goal to the good, Serbia get the second period going in Kaliningrad. Switzerland striker, Haris Seferovic, barely got a kick in the first half and has been replaced at the break by Mario Gavranovic. A half-switch paid dividends for Nigeria earlier today, the Swiss will be hoping for similar improvements.
52 mins: GOAL! SERBIA 1 SWITZERLAND 1:
A thunderbolt from Granit Xhaka! The game had been really open since the restart, a second goal seemed imminent but nobody was expecting it to come from the left foot of the Arsenal midfielder. After Mitrovic had gone close at one end, the Swiss poured down the left from where a crossfield pass found Xherdan Shaqiri just inside the penalty area. His curling shot was blocked by the dive of Aleksandar Kolarov, only for the loose ball to sit up perfectly in the path of Xhaka 25 yards from goal. Struck first time and true, his effort curled away from a static Vladimir Stojkovic and into the far right corner. We're all square in Kaliningrad!
58 mins: Shaqiri goes so close to turning this game right around! So often on the periphery, so often a hindrance to his teammates, the Swiss forward is capable of brilliance and nearly provided some there. In truth, the forward got lucky when the loose ball from a tackle ricocheted back into his path, but Shaqiri's curling shot from an absurd angle and distance had Stojkovic beaten all ends up. Thankfully for Serbia, the ball clipped the outside of the post and fell behind for a goalkick.
64 mins: Filip Kostic is cutting a frustrated figure on the Serbian left. The Hamburg man is incensed as a throw-in goes against him despite the last touch coming off a Swiss player, and now it gets worse. Mladen Krstajic has seen enough and decided it's time to replace the winger with Fiorentina's Adem Ljajic.
67 mins: Is Aleksandar Mitrovic twice as good as Harry Kane? The Swiss defenders seems to think so because that's how many it takes to wrestle the striker to floor as a cross is lofted into his direction inside the area. The Serbian makes his point of view clear to Felix Brych but, like Kane before him, is not going to see the referee consult VAR despite their being a clear case for a penalty.
73 mins: The Serbs have started to grab a foothold in this contest once again and that sparks Vladimir Petkovic into another substitution. Off goes Blerim Dzemaili and on in his place is Breel Embolo.
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