Euro 2024: England’s Revenge Tour Starts Against Serbia

Serbia vs England

Gareth Southgate’s men waited three years for a chance to bounce back from the heartbreak they suffered against Italy in the Euro 2020 final, and now they can finally right their wrongs here in Germany.

England will look to get off to a positive start here in Euro 2024, as they will square off against Serbia in the opener at the Veltins-Arena on Sunday night.

England are expected to cruise into Group C with Serbia, Slovenia, and Denmark, but those three teams can hurt them one way or another.

And that’s what Serbia are planning to do, as they aim for one of the top two spots in the group to make it to the knockout phase.

Talking Points

Serbia’s big boys can cause problems

Dragan Stojkovic’s side is going to play with house money in this competition, and they have plenty of quality to show for it.

Their strongest area on the pitch is arguably in the final third, as they have two strikers who can wreak havoc and score a bunch of goals.

Serbia have been using a 3-5-2 formation recently, with an emphasis on having a strike partnership led by Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandar Mitrovic, who combine for 71 goals in 118 caps.

Vlahovic is coming off a robust 2023-24 campaign for Juventus, leading the team in scoring with 16 goals and four assists in all competitions. Meanwhile, Mitrovic was a big reason why Al-Hilal are Saudi Pro League champions, as he recorded 28 goals and 10 assists.

Vlahovic and Mitrovic are big and strong, particularly adept on the air, so England’s centre-backs are in for a world of hurt if they’re left unmarked.

Serbia are also strong in the middle of the park, with Sasa Lukic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Ivan Ilic, and Nemanja Gudelj providing the muscle, while Dusan Tadic and Filip Kostic are their best playmakers in that area.

Talent alone is not enough for England

Gareth Southgate made several changes to his squad, but their core is pretty much the same here in Germany.

Harry Kane will continue to lead the line for the Three Lions, as he is coming off a brilliant debut campaign for Bayern Munich, and he will be surrounded by Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Eberechi Eze, Cole Palmer, Ollie Watkins, Jarrod Bowen, Ivan Toney, and Anthony Gordon up front.

At the middle of the park, there’s Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice, Conor Gallagher, Adam Wharton, and Kobbie Mainoo, while Trent Alexander-Arnold can help there too, despite being a natural full-back.

With Harry Maguire out, the concern for England is who will make up for their backline. Most likely, we’ll see John Stones and Ezri Konsa in centre-half to cover goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, while Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier will be the full-backs.

With all that talent, all eyes are going to be on Gareth Southgate, as he is under enormous pressure to guide his team to the promised land.

History

Serbia and England will face each other for the first time since the former became an independent state in 2006. Since the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, England have only met Serbia and Montenegro once in an international friendly in 2003, where the Three Lions won 2-1.

Overall, England are undefeated against Serbia/Yugoslavia in their last six encounters, winning each of their last four. Yugoslavia’s last victory over the Three Lions was a 1-0 result in the Euro 1968 semi-finals.

Serbia have qualified for the Euros for the first time as an independent nation. When they were still under Yugoslavia, they managed to secure two runner-up finishes and one fourth-place finish between 1960 and 1976.

As for England, their search for their first major international trophy in almost six decades continues. Their last piece of silverware was winning the 1966 World Cup.

Betting Tip

The Euro 2024 odds are backing England to win the opener in Geisenkirchen this weekend. The Three Lions are priced at 1.43 to win, while the Eagles are 7.00 underdogs, and a draw is valued at 4.29 in the 1X2 market.

With weapons on both sides, SBOTOP football fans will get their healthy dose of Euro 2024 highlights, making alternative options like Over 2.50 at 1.91, Over 2.75 at 2.13, Over 3.00 at 2.47, Total Goal 2-3 at 1.93, and even Total Goal 4-6 at 3.24 something to think about.

While Gareth Southgate’s men are expected to win, Dragan Stojkovic and co. are going to be more than happy to take at least a draw from this matchup.

 

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