Cape Verde take on Serbia in an international friendly at Estadio do Restelo on Sunday. The African side are preparing for their historic first World Cup appearance, while Serbia continue rebuilding under a new manager.

Cape Verde preparing for a historic World Cup

Cape Verde qualified for the World Cup for the first time in their history after finishing top of their qualifying group ahead of Cameroon.

The Blue Sharks have been productive in attack, scoring in 12 of their last 13 matches.

Serbia looking for progress under Paunovic

Serbia failed to qualify for the upcoming World Cup and subsequently appointed Veljko Paunovic as head coach.

Results have been mixed under the new manager, but defensive issues remain a concern, with Serbia conceding in each of their last seven matches.

Key stats

Cape Verde

• Scored in 12 of their last 13 matches
• Winless in regulation time in their last four games
• Qualified for their first-ever World Cup

Serbia

• Five of their last six friendlies produced over 2.5 goals
• Conceded in their last seven matches
• Won three of their last five games

Prediction

Cape Verde possess enough attacking quality to trouble Serbia, while the European side have regularly been involved in high-scoring matches.

Considering the attacking trends of both teams and Serbia’s defensive vulnerabilities, goals look likely.

Match prediction

Over 2.5 goals