It's a year since Slavoljub Muslin's first competitive game as Serbia boss, a 2-2 draw with the Republic of Ireland.
Daryl Murphy's header ten minutes from time snatched a precious point in Belgrade, after the visitors got an early goal through Jeff Hendrick, retreated (stop us if you've heard this one before) and saw their lead wiped out by Filip Kostic and a Dusan Tadic penalty.
"Obviously, the scars from previous qualifying campaigns are still visible and it will take a bit of time to get things right," Muslin said afterwards.
"I am confident this revamped 3-4-3 formation will get the desired results in the upcoming games."
It has. Aside from two one-all draws with Wales, the Serbs have overcome all other challenges in Group D.
On Saturday night, after the Irish toiled in Tbilisi, Muslin's men cruised past Moldova
Nemanja Gudelj, Matija Nastasic, Aleksandar Kolarov, Mijat Gacinovic and Nemanja Matic all missed last September's clash against Martin O'Neill's team but they will likely start in Dublin.
Serbia come studded with quality. Former Chelsea defender Ivanovic captains the side, Roma's Kolarov will raid down the left and Manchester United enforcer Matic is a powerhouse in midfield.
In the final third, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Tadic have scored ten of their 16 goals in the qualifiers and bring brawn and brains.
Ireland will face a tough, experienced outfit coated in steel and laced with class. We take a look at the probable starting XI, which may revert to a 4-5-1 away from home.
Predrag Rajkovic
The Maccabi Tel Aviv player tasted defeat on Irish soil once before; he was between the sticks when his team were turned over by Dundalk at Tallaght Stadium in the Europa League a year ago. He captained the Serbia Under-20 side to World Cup glory in 2015 and was named goalkeeper of the tournament. Rajkovic is strong in the air and a good shot-stopper. Having taken the No 1 shirt from Vladimir Stojkovic, he's grown in confidence and stature as this campaign has progressed.
Branislav Ivanovic
The former Chelsea man wears the armband and marshals that back three. He's well aware of the threats Ireland pose having come up against Shane Long and Jon Walters several times in the Premier League and said at the start of qualification that Ireland would be the hardest team in the group to beat. Excellent in the air, the Zenit St Petersburg defender is a genuine threat at set-pieces and has a knack for plundering the odd goal when roaming forward.
Nikola Maksimovic
A strong, proactive defender, Maksimovic reads the play well and is aggressive in the tackle. Both Manchester United and Manchester City have cast admiring glances towards Italy and he was linked with a move during the summer of 2016 when with Torino. He instead opted to move to Napoli where he continues to enhance his reputation. Comfortable on the ball and physically strong, he's earned favourable comparisons to his compatriot Nemanja Vidic.
Aleksandar Kolarov
A familiar face for fans of the Premier League. Former Manchester City star Kolarov also missed the first game against Ireland but will return tomorrow night and offers a good outlet down the left. The 31-year-old has a dangerous left boot and will pose a threat off dead balls. A fine crosser of the ball with a good engine, Ireland will hope to pin back Roma's summer signing and keep him occupied in his own half.
Matija Nastasic
Another ex-Man City player who moved on to get more regular football, Nastasic has since established himself as a good centre-half at Schalke. He was also strongly linked with a move to Roma in the summer but ultimately stayed at Bundesliga club. Nastasic was unlucky at City, injury meant he missed most of the the 2013/14 season and badly hindered his progress at the Premier League club. He's developed well in Germany though; comfortable on the ball and uncompromising in the tackle.
Mijat Gacinovic
He missed the 2-2 draw in Belgrade but has since emerged as a key man in this team. Gacinovic broke the deadlock against Moldova with a precise side-footer into the top corner - his second goal in two games - and set up Kolarov for the second. He offers his team great width and energy on the right and is made for Muslin's system, in which he has license to get forward.
Nemanja Gudelj
Sits in front of his back three beside Matic as another effective shield. Now plying his trade in the Chinese Super League with Tianjin TEDA, he left Ajax under a cloud last January after falling out with management and having been banished from the first-team squad.
Nemanja Matic
A towering presence in the middle of the park and a man reborn after his summer move to Old Trafford. Matic has made a terrific start to the season and offers physicality and composure in midfield. He'll break up play and feed Serbia's attacking triumvirate as well as their marauding wing-backs. Loves - and excels - at doing the dirty part of the game.
Filip Kostic
A clever player, Kostic will likely start wide but is capable of drifting inside to good effect. The former Groningen and Stuttgart winger - linked to Liverpool in the past - now plays with Hamburg and, though still only 24, is an established campaigner who also offers a set-piece threat.
Dusan Tadic
The Southampton man slotted home from the spot against Ireland in Belgrade and has a good goalscoring record for his country. A classy operator when he's on it but suffers from inconsistency. Likes to exploit pockets of space between the lines, can see a pass and is blessed with intelligence and vision.
Aleksandar Mitrovic
The in-your-face Newcatsle striker is not the most subtle footballer you'll see but he's a good foil for the tricky operators around him. He's a handful, a throwback in terms of his all-action bustling style, and will keep Ireland's defence occupied both on the deck and in the air. He scored the third against Moldova but Mitrovic is a hot-head who is prone to moments of madness. He retrospectively received a three-match ban for an elbow on West Ham's Manuel Lanzini in his side's 3-0 win last week.
Watch the Republic of Ireland v Serbia live on RTÉ2, listen on RTÉ 2fm's Game On and follow the action with RTÉ Sport Online's live blog from 7pm
