Serbia vs England Preview

Almost three years after losing the European Championship on penalties to Italy, England will begin their journey towards their first European Championship title when they face Serbia in their first group game in this summer’s tournament.

Serbia are playing in their second consecutive major tournament after playing in the World Cup in 2022. However, they were unable to go beyond the group stage in Qatar, ultimately finishing at the bottom of their group after picking up just one point.

They have been placed in a tough group alongside England, Denmark, and Slovenia. Yet, given the quality of their players, confidence should be high in their camp. The Eagles boast a collection of top strikers in Dusan Vlahovic, Aleksander Mitrovic, and Luka Jovic, so their fans are allowed to dream about their chances of qualifying from this group.

Serbia beat Sweden 3-0 in their last warm-up game before this meeting with England, although that was just their second win in their last six games (D1, L3). A strong performance and result like that could be enough to seal progression to the knockout rounds as Ukraine progressed on three points in Euro 2020.

Meanwhile, England are considered the favourites to win Group C given the quality in their ranks and their experience in major tournaments under Gareth Southgate. The English coach is leading England to a fourth major tournament and this may be his last unless the Three Lions lift the trophy.

Under Southgate, England have reached two semi-finals from three tournament appearances, narrowly losing the Euros to Italy at Wembley in 2021. They go again this year as one of the favourite teams despite a poor run of results that has seen them win just once in five outings (D2, L2).

The Three Lions sailed through the group stage without conceding a goal in last year’s European Championship (W2, D1), so hopes are high that England can glide into the knockout rounds with relative ease ahead of their first-ever meeting with Serbia.