ENGLAND kick off their Euro 2024 campaign with a challenging fixture against Serbia.
The Three Lions and the Eagles face off on Sunday at the Veltins-Arena in Gelsenkirchen.
Gareth Southgate’s side is still chasing its first ever trophy since the 1966 World Cup after coming extremely close in the last few tournaments.
England finished fourth at the 2018 World Cup, were runners-up at Euro 2020 and made the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup.
In fact, Southgate’s men were only just a whisker away from lifting the European trophy at Wembley four years ago but lost to Italy on penalties.
The Three Lions are still among the favourites but face a few hurdles along the way in the group stage.
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England have been drawn with Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia in Group C.
And they kick things off with an inexperienced Serbian side that will be laying in their first ever Euros since 2000 when they competed as Yugoslavia.
However, Dragan Stojkovic’s side won’t be short of talented and experienced stars at his disposal.
Premier League aces likes Chelsea’s Djordje Petrovic and Fulham’s Sasa Lukic are expected to play a big part.
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And they will be joined by ex-Southampton star Dusan Tadic, former Craven Cottage hitman Aleksandar Mitrovic, Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic, Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj and the experienced Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Path to the Euros
England cruised to the Euro 2024 finals in undefeated fashion during the qualifying round.
The Three Lions bested Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta with six victories along the way.
Gareth Southgate’s men dominated as they scored 22 goals and conceded only four.
Serbia, on the other hand, qualified for their first ever European competition as runners-up in Group G behind Hungary.
Dragan Stojkovic’s men bested Montenegro, Lithuania and Bulgaria along the way with four wins and two losses.
Team News
England will be without a left-back as the only man for the position Luke Shaw is still dealing with a muscle injury that has kept him sidelined since February.
However, there is hope Manchester United ace Shaw will be fit in time for the group stage.
Manchester City star John Stones should be available despite suffering a knock during Friday’s friendly loss to Iceland at Wembley.
Gareth Southgate left a number of big names out of his squad such as the injured Harry Maguire who didn’t make the cut due to a calf injury.
Maguire’s United team-mate Marcus Rashford was excluded after a poor season as were City star Grealish, Arsenal ace Ben White, Chelsea’s Raheem Sterling, Tottenham’s James Maddison and Jordan Henderson.
However, Southgate is not short of star power with the likes of Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham, Arsenal’s Declan Rice and Bukayo Saka, City’s Kyle Walker and Phil Foden as well as record man Harry Kane at his disposal.
The likes of Marc Guehi, Ezri Konsa, Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton, Ollie Watkins and Eberechi Eze are facing their first major test on the international stage.
The same goes for Southgate’s largely inexperienced defence which will be going up against a fully fit Serbia side whose frontline will be led by captain Dusan Tadic as well as Dusan Vlahovic and Al-Hilal’s Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Ones to watch
England will be showcasing a stunning frontline that will be spearheaded by Bayern Munich superstar Harry Kane.
Kane will be joined by the likes of Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka as well as Ballon d’Or contender Jude Bellingham.
The Three Lions’ back four will also rely a lot on Declan Rice that will be expected to guard Gareth Southgate’s defence.
Southgate’s men will need a solid defensive display as they will have to deal with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Fenerbahce star Dusan Tadic.
Manager Dragan Stojkovic also has the likes of AC Milan’s Luka Jovic and Juventus’ Filip Kostic available to fire up his attack.
And Al-Hilal’s Sergej Milinkovic-Savic could help limit England’s attacking prowess in midfield.
Head-to-Head
England and Serbia have only faced off once back when the latter competed as Serbia and Montenegro.
The two teams met in 2003 during an international friendly at the King Power Stadium.
The Three Lions won 2-1 thanks to goals by Steven Gerrard and Joe Cole, while Nenad Jestrovic temporarily equalised for his country.
England also hold a better record from back when Serbia competed as part of Yugoslavia.
The national team won five out of 14 matches, of which they lost four.
SunSport prediction
England pose as heavy favourites and they haven’t failed to get out the group stages since 2004. Serbia are not to be underestimated but the Three Lions have the experience.
Prediction: 0-2
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When is Serbia vs England?
- England’s opening game against Serbia will take place on Sunday, June 16.
- The game kicks off at 8pm BST.
- Serbia vs England will be held at Arena AufShcalke in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
What channel is it and can it be live streamed?
- England’s clash with Serbia will be shown live on BBC One in the UK.
- You can live stream all the action from the BBC iPlayer, which is available for download onto your mobile or tablet device.
Can I watch for FREE?
- Yes, the game is available to watch for FREE, so long as you have a valid TV licence.
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Odds
- Serbia – 1/4
- Draw – 24/5
- England – 11/1
*Odds courtesy of William Hill and correct at time of publication.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
