Simon Dalton presents his prediction for the World Water Polo Championship match.
Serbia arrive in Singapore regarded as one of the tournament’s dark horses. Whether that label proves accurate will be clearer after their opening fixture against South Africa, which marks the beginning of the World Championship.
Serbia
Serbia are currently ranked fifth in the world, a position they fully merit — having claimed Olympic gold last year. That said, the current season began on a less positive note, as the team underperformed at the World Cup. They were eliminated at the quarter-finals stage by Spain (9:14), who sit second in the global rankings.
South Africa
South Africa have yet to play an official match this year. Their most recent appearance came at the World Cup, where the squad endured a difficult campaign — managing just one victory, which came against Kazakhstan (11:10), the 30th-ranked team. Expectations for this tournament remain understandably restrained.
Serbia vs South Africa Prediction
The market appears to have overestimated Serbia, so a more pragmatic focus might be the scoring output of South Africa. The team has averaged around seven goals per game and even managed to net five against Spain. That benchmark seems attainable in this contest as well.
