Serbia's coaching team prepare for the match against Greece before the Nations League squad meets

Serbia's senior coaching staff have already begun detailed work for the Nations League match against Greece in Belgrade. Veljko Paunovic and his assistants have spent the preparation period at the FSS centre in Stara Pazova, reviewing club matches, player form and the opponent. The squad is due to gather on Monday, while Greece visit on September 24 at 20:45.

Preparation began before the players arrived

The coaching team used the early days to collect information rather than waiting for the first group session. Minutes played in recent club matches show who is ready for a full match and who may need a lighter workload.

Opponent review identifies repeated routes instead of relying on one memorable highlight. That work allows the short international window to begin with specific tasks. Work before the gathering lets the coaching team reduce the amount of new information delivered on the first day. Players can arrive to short clips and clearly marked situations, leaving the field session for movement, timing and direct communication. Early analysis also allows assistants to divide responsibility. One coach can study set pieces, another pressing exits and another individual workload, before the separate findings are reduced to one usable match plan.

The first match receives full attention

Greece is the immediate opponent and therefore sets the opening tactical problem. Serbia must know how it will progress against pressure and protect the ball after losing it.

Set pieces require named responsibilities before the final training sessions. Later Nations League matches matter, but they should not dilute the first plan. Greece will shape the opening plan through its own pressing and possession habits. Serbia needs more than a preferred formation: the players must know the first safe pass, the trigger for pressure and the defender responsible for depth after a turnover. The first fifteen minutes deserve a specific answer because both teams will test the other's preparation. Serbia need calm possession options and a clear response if Greece tries to attack immediately after a turnover.

Club form must lead to clear national-team roles

Strong club performance does not automatically produce the same responsibility in the national team. The coaching team needs combinations that fit the opponent and the available training time.

Clear roles help players from different leagues recognise the same signal. The squad list becomes useful only when every player understands his next action. Club form becomes useful only when it is connected to a specific international task. A winger may receive less space, a midfielder may defend a different zone and a striker may begin the press from another angle than he does every weekend. International football leaves little time to teach unfamiliar roles. Selecting duties close to a player's club habits can speed adaptation, provided the complete team still protects the same spaces.

Training time will be limited

Recovery status will differ because players arrive after different club schedules. The first sessions should establish spacing and communication without creating unnecessary fatigue.

Video work can explain details that do not require another high-intensity training exercise. A concise plan is easier to execute than several alternatives introduced at once. Limited training time makes recovery part of tactics. Heavy sessions would reduce the sharpness needed on match night, so the coaching team must choose a small number of repeatable patterns and use video work for details that do not require another physical load. Recovery information may change the order of the sessions or the minutes assigned in practice. The tactical plan must be precise enough to survive those individual adjustments without becoming a different system every day.

September 24 sets the deadline

The coaching team is working, the squad gathering follows, and the Greece match is scheduled for September 24. The result and starting team will only be known on match day.

Availability can still change after club medical checks. The quality of the preparation will become visible through Serbia's first decisions in Belgrade. The September 24 kick-off provides a clear deadline for medical checks, set-piece roles and the final starting decision. Until then, the useful story is the preparation process and the choices Serbia is building for the opening phase in Belgrade. The scheduled kick-off remains the point at which preparation becomes performance. Before then, no projected lineup can be more reliable than the medical information and final training response available to the staff.