Serbia will go into its June friendly against Mexico without Strahinja Pavlović, Andrija Živković and Jovan Milošević, leaving Veljko Paunović with a thinner squad for the match in Toluca on 5 June. The decision came after Serbia’s 3:0 defeat to Cape Verde in Lisbon and narrows the options again before a game that was already shaping up as a test for a younger group.
The absence of Pavlović had been agreed before the trip to Portugal because of fatigue after a demanding club season, but Živković and Milošević were sent back only after the Lisbon match. Serbia’s football association said both players sustained blows during the game and were headed to Belgrade for recovery, while Paunović said the staff did not want to risk any further worsening of their condition.
Živković gave the clearest picture of why he was removed from the trip. He said he had taken a blow to an already injured part of his body, one that had already forced him to stop before, and added that after speaking with the head coach he would not be able to meet the demands of the Mexico match. Milošević was also sent to Belgrade for recovery, even though both players had been willing to continue the trip with the national team.
The result is another adjustment for Serbia in a June cycle that was already built around a changed, younger squad. The team entered the window with some regular internationals left out for the two tests against 2026 World Cup participants, and the loss of three more players reduces the margin for error again just days before the trip to Toluca.
What Serbia does next is now clear: it has one confirmed appointment left, the friendly against Mexico on 5 June. What is not yet clear is how Paunović will reshape the side for it, or whether the reduced group will force even more changes before the squad lands in Mexico.
