Serbia travels to Mexico without three internationals after defeat in Lisbon
The Serbian national football team continues its June cycle of friendly matches with a significantly reduced squad. After the 3:0 defeat to Cape Verde in Lisbon, the coaching staff of head coach Veljko Paunović decided that Strahinja Pavlović, Andrija Živković and Jovan Milošević will not travel with the team to Mexico, where the second warm-up match against the Mexican national team is scheduled for 5 June in Toluca. According to the announcement by the Football Association of Serbia, the decision was made for different reasons: Pavlović's absence had been agreed before the trip to Portugal because of fatigue after a demanding club season, while Živković and Milošević sustained blows during the match in Lisbon and are returning to Belgrade for recovery.
Paunović, according to the association's statement, emphasized that the staff did not want to risk any further worsening of the condition of Živković and Milošević, although both expressed readiness to continue the trip with the national team. The two players will continue their recovery under the supervision of the medical team in Belgrade. For Serbia, this is an additional burden in a period in which the head coach had already entered the June window with a changed and younger squad, as some of the regular internationals were not included in the squad for the two tests against participants of the 2026 World Cup.
Pavlović had earlier agreed a shortened stay, Živković and Milošević sustained blows
The clearest situation was the one involving Strahinja Pavlović. According to the Football Association of Serbia, the agreement with the Milan defender existed before the national team's departure for Portugal. Paunović explained that Pavlović, because of great fatigue and a very demanding season, was supposed to play only the first match against Cape Verde, after which it was planned that he would be released from obligations for the trip to Mexico. Such a decision fits into the wider context of the end of the season, when head coaches in friendly windows often have to balance competitive needs, the players' health condition and the obligations that come after months of club rhythm.
The cases of Andrija Živković and Jovan Milošević are different. According to the FSS statement, both received awkward blows in the match in Lisbon. Živković, in a special statement published on the association's website, said that he had taken a blow to an already injured part of the body because of which he had previously had to pause, and stated that after a conversation with the head coach he would not be able to meet the demands of the match in Mexico. Milošević, according to the FSS announcement, has also been sent to Belgrade for recovery, and no additional details have currently been published about the severity of his blow or the possible duration of his absence.
The absence of the three players changes not only the numerical state of the squad but also the distribution of responsibility in the team. Pavlović is one of the most experienced defensive players on this list, Živković in Lisbon was among the players expected to carry a larger share of responsibility in the midfield-attacking area, while Milošević was given an opportunity up front in a lineup in which Paunović tested several younger solutions. Serbia will therefore have to rotate further against Mexico, and some players who came off the bench against Cape Verde could receive more minutes.
The 3:0 defeat raised questions about form and squad depth
Serbia lost to Cape Verde 3:0 in Lisbon on 31 May. According to the report of the Football Association of Serbia, the match was played at the Restelo stadium, and the scorers for the African national team were Kevin Pina in the 11th minute, Laros Duarte in the 59th minute and Tavares in the 63rd minute. The result is particularly heavy because it came in the first of two planned tests against national teams that will take part in the 2026 World Cup, and the Serbian team failed to make use of periods of better play in the continuation of the match.
In its report, the FSS stated that Serbia did not have enough solutions in the final third of the pitch in the first half and that it threatened mostly after set pieces. In the continuation, according to the same source, Paunović made several substitutions, and Serbia created more promising chances, including two situations involving Vladimir Lučić and an attempt by Nikola Štulić. Despite a better start to the second half, Cape Verde decided the match with two goals in the space of four minutes, after which Serbian initiative did not produce a goal.
Serbia's lineup against Cape Verde included several players with little international experience. According to the official report, Filip Stanković, Kosta Nedeljković, Strahinja Eraković, Strahinja Pavlović, Adem Avdić, Njegoš Petrović, Aleksandar Stanković, Andrija Živković, Vasilije Kostov, Veljko Birmančević and Jovan Milošević started the match from the first minute. The FSS pointed out that, due to the absence of a large number of players in an inconvenient period after the club season, debutants or players who received a more significant role in the starting lineup for the first time also started from the first minute. Such a context partly explains the changes in the lineup, but it does not diminish the fact that the defeat was unpleasant both in terms of the result and the impression.
Paunović's rejuvenation project now receives a more demanding test
Paunović had already emphasized, when arranging the match with Cape Verde, that the June window was also intended to test players who had established themselves in the meantime. According to an earlier announcement by the Football Association of Serbia, the head coach stressed that the goal was to create a broader base of candidates for the next national-team obligations. In the same statement, he said that the coaching staff had taken into account the workload of players after long club seasons and that logistical and sporting criteria were important in planning the two matches.
The first training session in Stara Pazova, according to the FSS, was held on 26 May, and the coaching staff then placed emphasis on a lighter training process and the players' gradual adaptation. The association also announced at the time that the official FIFA window begins on 1 June and that the club season in some countries had not yet finished, so the internationals were arriving in stages because of obligations to their clubs. That information is important for understanding the unevenness of the preparations, but also for assessing how much could realistically be expected from a lineup that in Lisbon was far from established.
Still, friendly matches at this level are rarely viewed only through the result. For the head coach, they are an opportunity to see how younger players react to more demanding opponents, to travel and to situations in which the national team has to change its plan on the fly. The defeat to Cape Verde, however, showed that expanding the squad also carries risks: a lack of automatisms, weaker connection between the lines and a limited number of players who can take responsibility when the match goes in an unfavourable direction. The meeting with Mexico therefore becomes important not only as a second test, but also as a test of reaction after a convincing defeat.
Cape Verde confirmed the status of a national team on the rise
Although Serbia's defeat carries its own internal weight, Cape Verde's victory cannot be viewed as a coincidence without broader context. FIFA earlier announced that Cape Verde had qualified for the World Cup for the first time in history, with a 3:0 victory against Eswatini that secured first place in its qualifying group ahead of Cameroon. Ahead of the World Cup, that national team is building a competitive identity on firm organization, physical energy and great self-confidence after its historic qualifying success.
In Lisbon, it was evident that Cape Verde had clear competitive motivation. In its report, the FSS stated that the African national team took the lead as early as the 11th minute after a run down the right side and a cutback into the penalty area, and then in the second half used transitional moments and punished Serbian misses. Such a scenario is often particularly uncomfortable for a team seeking a new structure, because an early goal conceded changes the rhythm, while missed chances in the continuation further increase the pressure.
For Cape Verde, this victory has additional value because it comes as part of preparations for its first appearance at the biggest football tournament. For Serbia, on the other hand, the match was a warning that even friendly matches cannot be played without a high level of concentration and tactical discipline. After Lisbon, Paunović will have to assess how much the problems were the consequence of lack of cohesion and physical condition, and how much they are an indicator of deeper issues that must be addressed before official matches.
Mexico as a more demanding opponent and a different logistical challenge
The second match in this cycle brings a different type of test. Serbia, according to the schedule published by the FSS and RTS, will play against Mexico in Toluca on 5 June at 4:00 Central European Time, which, because of the time difference, corresponds to the evening slot on 4 June local time. The FSS announced that after Lisbon the national team is travelling to Mexico via Madrid, and such a schedule means that the coaching staff, in addition to tactical preparation, will also have to take into account fatigue, travel and adaptation to a new time zone.
Mexico is one of the three hosts of the 2026 World Cup, along with Canada and the United States of America. FIFA states that this will be the first World Cup organized in three host countries and the first edition with 48 national teams. For that reason, warm-up matches with national teams that are already part of the tournament environment are particularly useful, even when played in a friendly format. For Serbia, the meeting with Mexico is an opportunity to test the team's reaction in demanding circumstances, but also to improve the impression after the Lisbon defeat.
In Toluca, the head coach will not be able to count on the three players who were part of the first section of the cycle, so the lineup will probably differ further from the one that started the match in Portugal. In defence, Pavlović's absence will open space for different combinations, while in the offensive area the lack of Živković and Milošević will reduce the number of options for positions behind the striker and at the very top of the attack. Considering that the FSS earlier published a squad list with a series of younger players from domestic and European clubs, it is expected that some of them will receive an additional opportunity against an opponent that is very demanding in terms of quality and experience.
What the absences mean for the rest of the squad
After the decision that Pavlović, Živković and Milošević will not continue the trip, Paunović's coaching staff must quickly adjust the work plan. In friendly matches, head coaches often distribute minutes in advance, especially when they want to test a wider circle of candidates and avoid overload after the club season. But injuries and agreed absences can change such a plan, because some players must be given more minutes than expected or must be used in positions that were not initially planned.
For younger players, that can be an opportunity, but also pressure. The match against Mexico will not carry competitive points, but it will be played against a national team preparing for a home World Cup and one that has additional motivation in such an environment. The players who receive space will have to show not only individual quality but also the ability to adapt to the demands of international football: faster decision-making, discipline without the ball and stability in moments when the opponent raises the tempo.
The biggest challenge for Serbia will be to find a balance between a result-based reaction and the developmental purpose of this gathering. If the goal is to broaden the base of candidates, then it is logical that some risk should be accepted. If the goal at the same time is to restore confidence after the 3:0 defeat, then Paunović will have to find a lineup that can be firmer, more compact and more efficient in the final third than it was in Lisbon. It is precisely this combination of pragmatism and testing that will mark the preparation for Toluca.
The June cycle remains important despite the problems
Regardless of the defeat and the absences, the June cycle remains important for Serbia because it brings a rare opportunity for two matches against national teams that are part of the World Cup in North America. The first ended in a convincing defeat and additional squad problems, while the second comes after a long journey and with a smaller number of available players. Such a sequence of events is not ideal, but it can provide a clearer picture of who can establish himself in difficult circumstances.
The Football Association of Serbia announced that Živković and Milošević will recover in Belgrade under the supervision of the medical team, while Pavlović's departure from the squad was part of an earlier agreement. This at least clarifies that it is not a single problem within the team, but a combination of planned workload reduction and caution after blows sustained in the match. For Paunović, preparation now follows for the duel with Mexico, in which the result will not have official weight, but the impression will be important after the failure in Lisbon.
The match in Toluca therefore comes as a test of character and squad depth. Serbia must show better organization, more stability in defence and a clearer plan in attack, especially if it wants to avoid a repeat of the Lisbon scenario, where missed chances and quick opposing counterattacks determined the final result. In the context of creating a new core of the national team, the absences of Pavlović, Živković and Milošević represent a problem, but they also open space for players fighting for a longer-term role in the national team.
Sources:
- Football Association of Serbia – statement on the release of Strahinja Pavlović, Andrija Živković and Jovan Milošević from obligations for the match with Mexico (link)
- Football Association of Serbia – official report from the Cape Verde – Serbia match in Lisbon (link)
- Football Association of Serbia – announcement on the planning of friendly matches with Cape Verde and Mexico and statement by head coach Veljko Paunović (link)
- Football Association of Serbia – announcement on the first training session and the context of preparations in Stara Pazova (link)
- Football Association of Serbia – statement by Andrija Živković after the match in Lisbon (link)
- RTS – Serbia squad list and match schedule against Cape Verde and Mexico (link)
- FIFA – official information on the 2026 World Cup, hosts, format and participants (link)
- FIFA – announcement on Cape Verde's historic qualification for the 2026 World Cup (link)