Special precautionary measures in Serbia: Instead of playing in the Belgrade cauldron, the Nati is playing in the provinces – in front of 8,000 spectators

The Swiss national team wants to get its first points in the third Nations League game. The game against Serbia will take place in the small town of Leskovac in a small, pretty stadium.

Red Star Belgrade's Marakana Stadium. This infamous stadium with its spooky tunnel and unique atmosphere can accommodate 60,000 spectators. European champions Spain found it extremely difficult in the start of the Nations League and had to be content with a 0-0 draw.

The Swiss national team is not traveling to Belgrade on Saturday, but to the Serbian province. To Leskovac, a small town with around 60,000 inhabitants in the south of the country, located on the small Veternica river in the Jablanica district, just under an hour's drive from the border with Kosovo.

There is not much here to attract tourists on a trip. With the exception of the Dubocica Stadium. A modern football arena that only opened last year and only seats 8,000 spectators. The Brügglifeld in Aarau offers space for more fans.

Why is the heated duel between Serbia and Switzerland – for the Serbs it is also a sporting revenge after the defeats in the last two duels against the Nati – taking place in such a small stadium? Apparently, the Serbian Football Association wants the national team to play not only in the capital, but throughout the country, in order to bring football closer to people in regions far from Belgrade.

Similar to Switzerland. The national team played its first home game in the Nations League against Spain in Geneva. On Tuesday they welcome Denmark in St.Gallen. The home game against Serbia in November will be played in Zurich. International games are also regularly played in Basel, Lucerne and Sion.

Serbian association under special observation

It can be assumed that the game between Serbia and Switzerland was also played in the small Dubocica Stadium in order to keep as few fans under control as possible. The last games between the national team and Serbia were heated. At Qatar 2022, Granit

Various safety precautions were taken for Saturday night's game. The tickets are personalized. This means that spectators must identify themselves. It is also checked that no political symbols or messages can be seen on flags, T-shirts and other fan items. The association is under special observation by UEFA. Fans are asked not to cause nuisance such as throwing objects into the playing area or illegal chanting.

The game is expected to proceed without incident. Nevertheless, the SFA is aware that it could be a very hot dance, especially for Xhaka. National team director Pierluigi Tami had already announced on Monday that he would seek talks with the captain. “Outside provocations are always possible, you can’t control that. You have to be prepared for that,” he says. For Switzerland, however, it was “a game like any other,” said Tami. The last duels against the Serbs? “For us, these are old stories.”

And Xhaka? He will not comment before the clash. The SFA will not send the national team captain to any of the five pre-match press conferences. However, it was never discussed that the midfielder would not make the trip to Serbia. Nati coach Murat Yakin said the day before the game: “We know Granit. He is always focused and fully committed to his work. We focus on tomorrow. Not on what happened in the past.”