Stojkovic: Veljkovic to miss Austria games

STARA PAZOVA - The head coach of the Serbia men's national football team Dragan Stojkovic announced on Monday defender Milos Veljkovic would miss the upcoming UEFA Nations League promotion/relegation playoff matches against Austria.

Veljkovic suffered a concussion while playing for his club, Werder Bremen, against Borussia Monchengladbach in the German Bundesliga two days ago.

"Veljkovic is still recovering. He is still feeling dizzy and nauseated. We have decided against him playing against Austria this time around, in Belgrade as well as in Vienna. The risk is too high," Stojkovic told a press conference in Stara Pazova near Belgrade.

He said Nemanja Gudelj was back in training.

"He was on the bench in the last game. We will have additional examinations when he comes today. To me, the most important thing is that a player is completely healthy. Andrija Zivkovic picked up a knock to his knee about ten days ago. A conclusion was made that it is a minor contusion. His recovery is underway, we will make an additional assessment. He is not eligible for the first game. Srdjan Babic had an injury but has recovered from an operation he had in December. He played an excellent match against Zenit. He is working in full swing," Stojkovic said, noting that some players would miss the first game against Austria due to yellow cards.

"We have a problem with players who are not eligible to play - Nikola Milenkovic, Strahinja Pavlovic, Aleksa Terzic and Zivkovic. Regardless of that, we have two games and they are in the (squad) list. We are counting on them for the return leg in Belgrade," Stojkovic said.

Serbia will face Austria in Vienna on March 20 and host the second leg on March 23.

The winner of the tie will play in the 2026/2027 UEFA Nations League A.