Tadic's calf injury minor, Germany and Greece await
Serbia captain Dusan Tadic missed NEC's last match with a calf problem, but he should be back in training by early next week and is not at risk for November.
After Nikola Milenkovic and Dusan Vlahovic missed the September games through injury, news from the Netherlands that the captain was hurt too looked like another blow for the Serbia national team. According to Mozzart Sport, the situation is not that dramatic, and fears of yet another empty spot in the squad are unfounded for now: Dusan Tadic has a minor injury and his place with the national team should not be in danger.
What happened to Tadic at NEC?
Tadic missed NEC Nijmegen’s latest match against Fortuna with a calf injury. No precise diagnosis has been given, but the problem is known not to be serious. He is expected to return to training within a few days, and by early next week at the latest.
That leaves more than three weeks until the national team’s first November match, enough time for the captain to find his rhythm before the squad gathers. The absence in the Netherlands, then, does not change the plan for the Eagles.
How many games has he missed this season?
Tadic has made 17 appearances in all competitions since the start of the competitive year, counting national team games. He has played in all four Nations League matches since returning to the Eagles’ shirt.
For his club he has missed only two games. He stayed on the bench against Cambuur and sat out the Fortuna match because of the calf injury. For a 37-year-old who has entered his 38th year, that is a tidy record.
For Serbia he has 115 caps, with 23 goals and 41 assists. Tadic joined the national team at the start of the Nations League, and Mozzart Sport rates him as the player through whom nearly every serious Serbian attacking move went at that point, with a hand in the goals as well.
What awaits Serbia in November?
Head coach Veljko Paunovic has two Nations League matches in November: against Germany on November 13 and against Greece on November 16. Serbia will then try to avoid direct relegation to League B and look for survival through the March playoff.
The medical bulletin is better right now than before the previous games. Vlahovic is back on the pitch, and Milenkovic is close to a return after starting Nottingham Forest’s last game on the bench. If Tadic gets back to training within the announced time, Paunovic could count on his captain for both November matches.
The first test, if all goes to plan, is November 13 against Germany, and the second comes three days later against Greece.
