England kick-start their UEFA Euro 2024 campaign with the opener against Serbia, as Gareth Southgate will aim for a fast start.
Dragan Stojkovic will hope to get the best out of his talented squad at the Euros after the debacle at the World Cup 18 months ago. Serbia boast some top names in their ranks for many to think they can do one over some of the big teams like England in the tournament, and their performances in the group stages will say a lot about their approach.
Their form heading into Germany has not been anything close to what the manager would want, with only four wins in their last eleven games. However, Serbia are coming to the Euros after an absence of 24 years, as they last played under the name of Yugoslavia back in 2000.
Stojkovic must see the opportunity in Group C and look for good performances during their three games at this stage. England are obviously one that will be seen as the toughest of all their fixtures. But with the quality at hand with his squad, the Serbia head coach will have to target wins over Slovenia and Denmark.
Gareth Southgate has plenty to prove and will certainly dream of taking the team a step further than he did in the last edition of the Euros. The penalty shootout heartache against Italy on home soil is still strongly felt in many corners of the country. This time, it will be a big opportunity for the Three Lions to bring home a trophy.
England will have to show plenty of character, unlike that terrible performance and loss against Iceland in their final pre-tournament game on home soil. While there is always pressure on a team like England, who generally go into tournaments with the favourites tags hanging over their head, this time around, there have been criticisms surrounding Southgate’s squad selection for this month-long trip to Germany.
England are stacked with quality stars from the Premier League and elsewhere, as their fans will gather around the stadium with the expectation that the Three Lions will begin their Euro 2024 campaign with three points against Serbia.
Team News & Tactics
Serbia
Dragan Stojkovic will be relieved to have no mishaps during the two friendly games before they enter Germany, as Serbia will have all their big hitters available. That, in turn, will give the manager a selection headache when choosing his best eleven, and he will hope to get his attacking setup right.
He will persist with a back three to begin with, as Nikola Milenkovic, Milos Veljkovic, and Strahinja Pavlovic play in those positions in front of Vanja Milinkovic-Savic. Nemanja Gudelj and Sasa Lukic are the best placed to hold the midfield together for Serbia, with Filip Kostic and Andrija Zivkovic in the wing-back roles.
The manager will place the attacking impetus and creative burden on the shoulders of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Dusan Tadic. He does have further options to choose from if things do not go as planned. The striker role is the most key area of his selection, as he might persist with Al-Ahli striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and keep Juventus hitman Dusan Vlahovic on the bench, at least in their Euro opener against England.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Milinkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Gudelj, Lukic, Kostic; Milinkovic-Savic, Tadic; Mitrovic
England
Gareth Southgate has an even bigger selection headache, as he will want the best setup possible to get the three points. One of the main points of naming his starting eleven would be the midfield selections, as the manager might give Trent Alexander-Arnold a nod to play in that midfield and partner Declan Rice.
The only potential absentee for this clash is Luke Shaw, who has been training well but may need more match fitness for this one. Hence, Kieran Trippier should deputise at left-back, as the Manchester United man will be expected to play a part in the next game.
Meanwhile, John Stones had an illness scare as well as a knock to his ankle in the Iceland game. The defender appears to have recovered from both and is likely to start in central defence alongside Marc Guehi, while Kyle Walker will be stationed at right-back.
One of the big talking points in the build-up to the Euros was about the attacking setup behind skipper Harry Kane and how England might lineup. As it stands, Southgate will be relieved to have given key stars Bukayo Saka and Jude Bellingham some level of rest, as the duo will start, with Phil Foden taking his spot on the left wing.
Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford; Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier; Alexander-Arnold, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Foden; Kane
Key Stats
- Serbia have won only two of their last six international games heading into the Euros.
- Serbia only managed four wins from the eight qualifying games.
- England will play Serbia for the first time since Euro 2004.
- England have managed to win only one of their last 5 international games.
Player to Watch
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Not everyone is convinced of Alexander-Arnold’s forays from midfield, let alone him starting in a fixed position in the middle at the start of the Euros. Jurgen Klopp always tended to use him from a right-back slot. Still, the England international showed his quality from the role in the middle with a terrific performance against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their recent friendly.
However, he can either become a glue that sticks the team, especially the attack, together or turn into a mismatch of sorts. Things could get clearer as the Liverpool star is a favourite to begin England’s Euro campaign from a midfield role, as the Three Lions could be a lethal threat from the right-hand side of their attack.
Prediction
Serbia 1-2 England
Serbia have quality players in every position. But they clearly do not have the cohesion required to stitch these players together and play as a team. However, they come into this game under more pressure than. Their opponents, as a faulty start, would add to the stress of bowing out in the group stages.
England have had a few wobbles along the way and have not been at their absolute best in recent international games. However, when it comes to a big tournament, they will have a fit and firing squad to build upon, and the Three Lions will secure a victory, as we predict a 1-2 scoreline in England’s favour.
