Denmark will be eager to make the knockout rounds for the first time in consecutive European Championships, while Serbia are keen to stay alive in the competition.
Christian Eriksen has been one of his side’s best players at the European Championships. He opened the scoring for Denmark against Slovenia and has been busy creating chances as they get set to take on Serbia. The Manchester United midfielder has made 11 creations for his teammates, but Kasper Hjulmand’s men lacked the edge in front of the goal.
It took a long-range strike from Morten Hjulmand to draw level against England on Matchday 2, as Denmark were seen as unlucky not to take three points from that game. The manager will take more positives from that clash, where they went behind a Harry Kane goal, but after that, they looked like the better team on the pitch.
Having drawn both their games so far at the Euros, Denmark would likely seal second spot if they manage a win over Serbia in the final group game. The task is difficult, as this group is still wide open for all sides involved, meaning Hjulmand’s men have to be at their best against the Serbians.
Having pinned their goalscoring hopes on the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic, it was Luka Jovic who turned up and scored a late equaliser against Slovenia to keep Serbia’s hopes alive. The last-gasp strike proved enough to keep them in the competition and give the team another day to fight for their chance to qualify for the knockout phases.
Serbia has been otherwise dreadful, as Dragan Stojkovic’s tactics have not worked. He did make fundamental chances after the awful performance against England, but even the introduction of creative star Dusan Tadic did not bring about any changes.
Serbia are bottom of their group with one point and will need at least a point and a decent goal tally while hoping Slovenia falter against England. A win would do wonders for their chances of progression, although the Danes are in a superior vein of form as things stand for the Serbs to dream of three points.
Team News & Tactics
Denmark
The Danes have no injury issues after matchday 2 and will have Thomas Delaney back in the squad after he was absent from the England game due to illness. The midfielder is unlikely to start as the manager will continue with the pairing of Piere-Emile Hojbjerg and Morten Hjulmand in the centre of the pitch.
There are some concerns about suspensions as Hjulmand, Joakim Maehle, Christian Norgaard, and Jannik Vestergaard are all a yellow card away from missing the round-of-16 clash. Meanwhile, Christian Eriksen could beat Simon Kjaer to become the most capped Danish player in history as he is in line for his 133rd appearance for the national side.
The Manchester United man will play the creative midfielder role behind the two strikers, Jonas Wind and Rasmus Hojlund. Denmark seem like a competitive side, and Kasper Hjulmand is likely to keep opting for a back three and wing-backs to play his style of football.
Probable Lineup (3-4-1-2): Schmeichel; Andersen, Christiansen, Vestergaard; Maehle, Hjulmand, Hojbjerg, Kristiansen; Eriksen; Hojlund, Wind
Serbia
Dragan Stojkovic probably has another game to experiment with his starting lineup, and once again, he will make some fundamental changes that will suit the squad. Filip Kostic remains the only injured player for Serbia, and while there were concerns that his tournament ended prematurely, the Juventus star has stuck around in training, as he might make a return should the team make it to the next round.
Regarding selection, Stojkovic might bring Sergej Milinkovic-Savic back into the fold and pair him with Tadic in the attacking setup. As a result, the manager might discard the two-striker idea and potentially bench Vlahovic in favour of keeping skipper Mitrovic.
Otherwise, the team will have a familiar look in terms of selection, with Sasa Lukic and Ival Ilic set to start in central midfield. The manager will hope his back three can keep things quiet and keep a clean sheet, although, at times, they have looked suspect in defence.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Rajkovic; Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Ilic, Lukic, Mladenovic; Tadic, Milinkovic-Savic; Mitrovic
Key Stats
- Denmark have won their last three matches against Serbia in all competitions.
- Denmark have scored at least two goals in their last three matches against Serbia in all competitions.
- Denmark can progress to the knockout stages for the first time in consecutive European Championships.
- Denmark and Slovenia are level on points, goal difference, goals scored, and goals conceded ahead of each side’s final group game.
- Serbia have won only 4 of their last 13 games in all competitions, keeping only two clean sheets in the process.
Player to Watch
Christian Eriksen
The soon-to-be Danish record appearance maker still has what it takes to inspire his team and will probably play a big role in the match against Serbia. The Manchester United man has been the main threat for Denmark at the Euros, creating 11 chances so far and scoring once.
He must introduce a different element in his game that allows things to flow more freely and brings the best out of his attacking teammates. So far, none of his chances have yielded goals, something he and his manager will desperately hope changes against Serbia.
Prediction
Denmark 1-1 Serbia
Denmark might have been the better team against England, but they are facing a robust Serbian side that has shown plenty of character despite results not going their way. However, things must change for Dragan Stojkovic’s men ahead of this final group game, as he will want another resilient performance from his side, albeit with the ability to take their chances when they come.
Despite many pointing at them as the favourites, Denmark might find it increasingly challenging to nick three points against Serbia. Overall, this game has the hallmarks of an eventful draw, which might keep the chances of progressing alive for the Serbians.
