With defender Nemanja Vidic, striker Nikola Zigic and winger Milos Krasic on the sidelines, Petrovic named several fringe players in his 24-man squad to face Northern Ireland and Faroe Islands in Belgrade on September 6.
"If we get a draw in Belfast and beat the Faroes in Belgrade, which we have to, we will stay in contention for a runners-up finish and hence a play-off berth," Petrovic told a news conference.
"Some of the players who broke into the squad represent Serbia's future and they have made tremedous progress in the past year or so," he said.
"We know what to expect in Belfast - a full house of noisy home fans and a difficult match, but if all goes well we will have our fate in our own hands ahead of the final group match against Slovenia."
Ajax Amsterdam's in-form forward Miralem Sulejmani should win a place in the starting line-up against Northern Ireland while Partizan Belgrade winger Nemanja Tomic is also likely to play some part.
The winners of Europe's nine qualifying groups and the best second-placed team will qualify automatically for next year's finals in Poland and Ukraine, while the other eight runners-up enter a two-leg playoff for the remaining four berths.
