Serbia vs England Prediction & Betting Tips (16 June)

Serbia will not be neglected in this group since, as a reminder, it participated in the World Cup in Qatar at the end of 2022. However, this record must be put into perspective since it did not manage to win a single match during of the group stage with 2 defeats and 1 draw. Described as more rough than playful, this selection still has talents to showcase on the field and it demonstrated it during the qualifying phase with a good 2nd place obtained behind Hungary against whom it experienced its only two defeats. 1-2 at home and 2-1 on the return to Budapest. For the record, this is the very first time since its independence that Serbia will play a Euro. The White Eagles have not shone in recent times, losing to Belgium 1-0 and being held to a draw by Bulgaria 2-2 last November before sinking to Russia 4-0 in March. A big disappointment that the small victory won against Cyprus 0-1 cannot make us forget. At the beginning of June, the Serbs failed to revive against Austria 2-1 but they largely raised their heads by outrageously dominating Sweden a few days later 0-3.

Playing at home during the previous edition, England had a great opportunity to win their first Euro. Except that Italy and the pressure of penalties got through and the Three Lions failed in the final, at home, at Wembley. The following year, during the World Cup, Gareth Southagate's players experienced further disillusionment by being knocked out in the quarter-final by France, defeated 1-2. On paper, the English are clearly among the favorites and they gave up almost nothing during the qualifiers with a record of 6 wins for 2 draws and a first place easily acquired ahead of Italy and Ukraine. Last March, the British gave themselves a scare by losing at home to Brazil 0-1 before being held to a draw by Belgium 2-2. At the beginning of June, they launched their preparation for the Euro perfectly by beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-0 without any difficulty but they were then surprised by Iceland at Wembley 0-1. Enough to reduce general enthusiasm.

Little in sight this season, the former Marseillais Radonjic (Mallorca, 44 sels, 5 goals) was not selected for the tournament. This is also the case for defenders Erakovic (Zenit) and Nastasic (Mallorca) as well as promising goalkeeper Svilar (Roma). Serbia has no shortage of strengths in its game but some of the best players on this team could already be starting to feel the weight of the years. This is particularly the case of captain Tadic (Fenebahce, 108 sel, 23 goals) as well as midfielders Gudelj (Seville, 62 sel) and Kostic (Juventus, 63 sel). Among the other players to follow in this selection, we can cite goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (Torino, 19 sel), defenders Milenkovic (Fiorentina, 53 sel), Pavlovic (RB Salzburg, 35 sel) and Veljkovic (Werder Bremen, 30 sel), midfielders Maksimovic (Getafe, 49 sel), Sergej Milinkovic-Savic (Al Hilal, 51 sel, 9 goals), Lukic (Fulham, 46 sel) and Ilic (Torino, 16 sel). Exiled in Saudi Arabia, the formidable scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al Hilal, 58 goals in 91 seasons) could still remain the starter for this Euro, especially since he found the fault against Sweden last week. Also candidates to start are Serie A residents Jovic (AC Milan, 35 selections, 10 goals) and Vlahovic (Juventus, 27 selections, 13 goals). Led by Gareth Southgate for his 4th major competition, the Three Lions will travel to Germany without Jordan Henderson (Ajax), who was not selected despite his return from Saudi Arabia, just like Marcus Rashford (Manchester United ) and the full-back Chilwell (Chelsea) who have not been satisfactory this season.

In addition, defender Colwill (Chelsea) and striker Wilson (Newcastle) are injured while defenders Maguire (Manchester United) and Quansah (Liverpool), midfielders Curtis Jones (Liverpool) and Maddison (Tottenham) and the mischievous Grealish (Manchester City) were dismissed at the last moment to draw up the final list for this Euro 2024. Even so, it is not talent that is lacking in this English team, starting with a particularly solid rearguard. We find in particular the captains Walker and Stones (Manchester City), as well as the promising Konsa (Aston Villa) and Guehi (Crystal Palace). Among the best Premier League players in his position, Declan Rice (Arsenal) will be the hub of this team where the offensive animation should be taken care of by the formidable Phil Foden (Manchester City) and the impressive Bellingham (23 goals , 11 assists including tax) who did not play in the two preparation matches after he won the C1 with Real Madrid. We will not forget to mention Harry Kane (Bayern Munich, 91 caps, 63 goals) and his extraordinary season in the colors of Bayern Munich. He, the eternal black cat who has never won a single title and who will try to finally turn the tide.