Injury blow for Beşiktaş as Vlahovic ruled out of Nations League matches

Beşiktaş have been dealt an injury blow involving their Serbian forward Dusan Vlahovic. According to reports, the striker will spend the international break in Istanbul after suffering an injury to his right hamstring, ruling him out of Serbia's upcoming four UEFA Nations League matches. Vlahovic is expected to be sidelined for around ten days.

The Serbian Football Federation had included Vlahovic in the preliminary 28-man squad announced on September 18 by head coach Veljko Paunovic, where he was seen as a key part of the attacking plans. However, following the emergence of the injury on September 22, the forward informed the coaching staff that he would be unable to join the squad and would miss the four-match international window. The setback forces Serbia into unexpected changes up front.

Serbia will open their Nations League campaign at home against Greece on September 24. Three days later, on September 27, they face the Netherlands, before facing Germany and the Netherlands again during October's international break. In Vlahovic's absence, players such as Luka Jovic, Dejan Joveljic, Mihajlo Cvetkovic and Jovan Milosevic are expected to take on greater responsibility, with Jovic considered a strong candidate to start.

Vlahovic had made an impressive start at Beşiktaş, scoring five goals in his first seven appearances and establishing himself as one of the team's in-form players. The injury reportedly occurred after he scored in his most recent match. Further medical assessments will determine the length of his recovery and whether he will be fit for Beşiktaş's next league fixture.