Serbia vs England Prediction: Euro 2024 Team News and Lineups Preview

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Our guide takes a different approach to any other tournament preview. The analysis and insight you’ll find in the document is based on our in-house betting data which goes back decades. This betting data is on the following markets:

• Match Result (1X2)
• Handicap Betting
• Total Goals (Over/Under 2.5)

Using this as a foundation, we’ve split the guide into several different sections:

• 8 historical tournament analysis articles
• 24 team-by-team articles
• BETSiE projections for every team and group
• Unique analysis from our experts including exclusive quotes from Mikael Silvestre and John Barnes

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Serbia vs England Prediction 1: Plenty of Penalties

Germany, Euro 2024, Sunday, June 16th, 20:00 (UK)

England head into this tournament as favourites, holding a slight edge over France in the markets. Whether or not the ‘favourites’ tag is justified remains to be seen, but this is an England side brimming with talent. While Harry Kane is undoubtedly going to lead the line, it remains to be seen who out of Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Anthony Gordon and Cole Palmer – to name a few, will fill in behind this season’s Golden Boot winner.

While the 3-0 friendly win over Bosnia & Herzegovina was a borefest, the Three Lions got the job done in the second half, with a Cole Palmer penalty and goals from Trent Alexander-Arnold and Harry Kane enough to secure a comfortable winner. 

It’s hard to read too much into a game where only two of the starters are likely to start in the opener in Germany, but there were some encouraging signs. Since the heartbreaking Euros final defeat to Italy, England have played 33 games, scoring 14 penalties in this time, including in their last two friendlies. 

With an abundance of attacking talent, England have many players capable of winning fouls. In their three tournaments under Gareth Southgate, England have won seven penalties. They also have the added threat of winning penalities from set pieces, due to the increased set-piece work put in by the coaching staff.

• Serbia vs England Prediction 1: England to Score a Penalty
• Best Odds: 5.00
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 5/10

Serbia vs England Prediction 2: Formidable England

England head into this game as 1.44 favourites with bet365. While this is far too short to back as a single, delve deeper, and it is not hard to find value in this game. 

In qualifying for this summers tournament, England conceded just four times, coming twice against Ukraine, once against Italy and once away at North Macedonia in a dead rubber. Gareth Southgate has become renowned for his pragmatic style of play – something which is bound to continue heading into June. 

England progressed to the quarter-finals of the last World Cup before coming unstuck to France in the quarter-finals. Their opening group game was a barnstorming 6-2 win over a plucky Iran side. They followed this up with a 0-3 win over Wales before the bore-fest stalemate with the USA saw England progress to the knockouts with ease. The last 16 saw them pitted against a Senegal side, in which the Three Lions won 3-0.

The delayed 2020 Euros saw England reach the final, only conceding two goals in the entire tournament. Their first five games in the tournament saw them keep a clean sheet in all. Therefore, England have kept a clean sheet in 8 of their last 12 games in major tournaments, conceding in just 1/6 group stage games. 

England will look to keep it tight in the opener, so don’t be surprised by another England clean sheet. First time entrants (as an independent nation) Serbia may be keen to preserve their goal difference. If, as expected, Serbia and Denmark lose to England and beat Slovenia, second place COULD go down to goal difference, so it would be in the Serbs’ best interest to keep it tight in the opener.

• England vs Serbia Prediction 2: England Clean Sheet
• Best Odds: 2.00
• Bookmaker: bet365
• Stake: 10/10

Serbia vs England Team News and Possible Lineups: A lot for Southgate to ponder

The Serbian squad is one brimming with talent from across the globe. Dragan Stojković is likely to stick with his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation. Strahinja Pavlović is a stand out in defence. The RB Salzburg centre-back is strong and aerially dominant but also demonstrates fantastic ability to bring the ball out of defence. 

Filip Kostic will bring running and creativity from wing-back. The 31-year-old Juventus winger is one of the standouts in the side. Fulham’s Sasa Lukic and Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj is a centre midfield partnership to be feared. What they may lack in passing ability, they more than make up for in hard work and tenacity. They provide the steel to a passionate Serbian side. The duo also allow star man Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to flourish further up the pitch. 

Standing at 6’4, the 29-year-old is a dominant midfielder, capable in both boxes. He is a complete midfielder with dazzling feet and a ferocious long shot. He will look to cause issues aerially with Alexsandar Mitrovic as they get on the end of Dusan Tadic crosses. 

Like Milinkovic-Savic, Mitrovic perhaps moved to Saudi Arabia too early, but the fiery striker has excelled in Asia, scoring a hatful of goals. Mitrovic’s goalscoring exploits are key to Serbia’s tournament ambitions as he looks to add to his 57 goals for the Eagles.

As always, every crevice and inch of the England squad has been scrutinised and analysed by the media. While the Three Lions are the favourites, there are question marks over a few positions. 

Question Marks

Jordan Pickford will continue his run as England number one, while Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and John Stones will retain their place at Right Back and Centre Back respectively. Much criticised Harry Maguire is an injury doubt, but will start if fit. Despite a lack of appearances for Manchester United this season, Luke Shaw has been selected in the provisional squad. If he is not deemed fit enough, Southgate won’t be afraid to drop him and play Newcastle captain Kieran Trippier at left back in his place. 

Declan Rice is a lock in the team. The Arsenal midfield anchor has excelled for club and country over the years. The main question is who plays in midfield with him. Before, it seemed inevitable it would be world superstar Jude Bellingham. However, the 20-year-old has shown remarkable ability as a number 10 for Champions League winners Real Madrid, so it remains to be seen whether Bellingham is played as a ten or slightly deeper. If he is played off the striker, Kobbie Mainoo, Conor Gallagher, Adam Wharton, and Trent Alexander-Arnold will all be vying for a space next to Declan Rice. Southgate likes a ‘runner’ in his midfield, so the pessimist in me believes Connor Gallagher will slot in next to Rice. 

It seems inevitable that Premier League player of the year Phil Foden, golden boot winner Harry Kane and Arsenal star man Bukayo Saka will play in attack for England. The trio have the ability to win games on their own and remain powerful tools for England. If Southgate elects to play Bellingham in the deep role, this could open a spot for Chelsea’s top scorer, Cole Palmer or Newcastle’s lively winger, Anthony Gordon, to make an unlikely start. 

Serbia possible starting lineup:
V. Milonkovic-Savic; Milenkovic, Pavlovic, Veljkovic; Zivkovic, Lukic, Gudelj, Kostic; S. Mikinkovic-Savic, Tadic; Mitrovic, 

England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; Walker, Stones, Maguire, Trippier; Rice, Gallagher; Foden, Palmer, Saka; Kane

Euro 2024 Match Stats: First times a charm

• This is Serbia’s first independent Euros
• England have kept a clean sheet in 8/12 last major tournament games
• Serbia have failed to progress through the groups in their last two major tournaments
• England have never played Serbia as an independent country 
• No European player has scored more goals than England’s Harry Kane across the last three major  international tournaments, 12 in total (6 at WC 2018, 4 at EURO 2020, 2 at WC 2022). The only other player  to match that tally is Kylian Mbappé.
• Head-coach Gareth Southgate will be leading England at a fourth major tournament after World Cup 2018  (4th place), EURO 2020 (2nd) and World Cup 2022 (quarter-finalists). At Euro 1996, he was one of only three  England players to play all 510 minutes alongside David Seaman and Tony Adams – he missed a penalty in  the semi-final shoot-out against Germany.
• Current head-coach Dragan Stojković has made the most appearances of any Serbian player at the UEFA  EURO finals, playing seven times across the 1984 and 2000 tournaments for Yugoslavia, scoring once.

Serbia Group A Euro 2024 Fixtures: Tough Start For The Serbs

• Vs England (Gelsenkirchen)
• Vs Slovenia (Munich)
• Vs Denmark (Munich)

England Group A Euro 2024 Fixtures: Strong Start Wanted

• Vs Serbia (Gelsenkirchen)
• Vs Denmark (Frankfurt)
• Vs Slovenia (Cologne)

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