A pitch inspection has taken place in Belgrade ahead of Ireland's opening 2018 World Cup qualifier against Serbia, raising doubts about whether the game will go ahead.

There has been torrential rain in Belgrade this evening, which has led to fears that tonight's qualifier may have to be postponed, with some worries about the condition of the pitch at the Red Star stadium.

For the moment, European football's world governing body UEFA say the fixture will still go ahead as planned.

They state that the pitch was cleared when it was checked this morning and the fixture will only be cancelled if the referee decides that it is too dangerous when he carries out an inspection later this evening.

That second inspection will take place at 6.15pm, an hour and a half before kick-off.