England start their long-awaited Euro 2024 campaign this weekend against Serbia in Germany.
The Three Lions are one of the favourites to lift the iconic Henri Delaunay trophy and start that quest against a tricky opponent.
However, despite boasting a squad packed with talent in most positions, England were beaten 1-0 by Iceland at Wembley in their final friendly before heading off to the European Championship.
It was a grim display from the Three Lions, and they will have to be better if they are to live up to the hype and expectation.
England vs Serbia: Date, UK kick-off time and how to follow
England’s Euro 2024 opener will take place on Sunday, June 16.
Kick-off at the VELTINS-Arena in Gelsenkirchen, Germany will start at 8pm UK time.
talkSPORT will have live coverage of the game presented by Adrian Durham.
Commentary will come from Jim Proudfoot, former England captain Stuart Pearce and former England defender Ashley Young.
To tune in to talkSPORT or talkSPORT 2 through the website, click HERE for the live stream.
You can also listen via the talkSPORT app, on DAB digital radio, through your smart speaker and on 1089 or 1053 AM.
talkSPORT.com will also be running a dedicated live blog to keep you up to date with the action.
The tie will also be shown on free-to-air TV on BBC One.
England vs Serbia: Squads and team news
The Three Lions have confirmed their 26-man squad, and there are some notable absences.
Harry Maguire is struggling with an ankle injury and has been left at home.
Jack Grealish and James Maddison were also dropped despite making the provisional squad, but other options were preferred to them.
Luke Shaw has been included, although he’s battling to be fully fit and is expected to play no part in the opener.
That means Kieran Trippier is likely to fill in at left-back, while the Three Lions will hope John Stones is fine after suffering an ankle knock in the Iceland defeat.
Jude Bellingham is certain to start after joining the England squad late due to his involvement in the Champions League final with Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Serbia have Aleksandar Mitrovic leading the line, while Dusan Tadic and Filip Kostic will be providing the ammunition for the former Fulham and Newcastle striker.
Plus, Juventus’ Dusan Vlahovic is also an option.
In midfield, Serbia can also call upon Sergej Milinkovic Savic to dictate things in midfield.
England squad
- Goalkeepers: Jordan Pickford (Everton), Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Aaron Ramsdale (Arsenal).
- Defenders: Lewis Dunk (Brighton), Joe Gomez (Liverpool), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Luke Shaw (Man Utd), John Stones (Manchester City), Kieran Trippier (Newcastle), Kyle Walker (Manchester City).
- Midfielders: Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool), Conor Gallagher (Chelsea), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace).
- Forwards: Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Ivan Toney (Brentford), Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa).
Serbia squad
- Goalkeepers: Vanja Milinkovic Savic (Turin), Predrag Rajkovic (Majorca), Dorde Petrovic (Chelsea), Aleksandar Jovanovic (Partizan)
- Defenders: Strahinja Pavlovic (RB Salzburg), Nikola Milenkovic (Fiorentina), Milos Veljkovic (Werder Bremen), Srdan Babic (Spartak Moscow), Uros Spajic (Red Star), Strahinja Erakovic (Zenit), Nemanja Stojic (TSC), Jan Karlo Simic (Milan)
- Midfielders: Sasa Lukic (Fulham), Nemanja Gudelj (Seville), Nemanja Maksimovic (Getafe), Ivan Ilic (Torino), Sasa Zdjelar (CSKA Moscow), Srdjan Mijailovic (Red Star), Sergej Milinkovic Savic (Al Hilal), Dusan Tadic (Fenerbahce), Samed Bazdar (Partizan), Aleksandar Cirkovic (TSC), Lazar Samardzic (Udinese), Veljko Birmancevic (Sparta Prague), Filip Kostic (Juventus), Filip Mladenovic (Panathinaikos), Matija Gluscevic (Radnički 1923), Andrija Zivkovic (PAOK), Mijat Gacinovic (AEK), Nemanja Radonjic (Majorca)
- Forwards: Aleksandar Mitrovic (Al Hilal), Dusan Vlahovic (Juventus), Luka Jovic (Milan), Petar Ratkov (RB Salzburg), Mihailo Ivanovic (Vojvodina)
England vs Serbia: What has been said?
After the defeat to Iceland, Harry Kane revealed that England are going to take the positives from the game and use it as a source of motivation.
He also insists England can win Euro 2024.
Speaking to the press, he said: “Sometimes, you need this wake-up call. There are areas we need to improve, especially with our pressure.
“The group games are going to be very similar to this. We are going to have to defend well, especially the longer balls, and with the ball, we need to be a bit more patient.
“We fell below our standards without the ball and that is something we have to review and get better with. It goes back to [the issue of being] without the ball that we need to improve.
“There probably was not enough hunger in the duels, in the second balls and winning those. They are a big, important part when you are playing these teams, to sustain the pressure and really suffocate them.
“We are going in there as one of the favourites and that is a responsibility that we have to take forward now, because we have earned the right to be there.
“We will never take it for granted. I have said many times to judge us on the tournament form, on the tournament football.
“Of course, there will be some noise about [Iceland], but I think there is a lot of optimism from the fans and rightly so.
“Ultimately, it is down to us to make sure we get it right on the pitch. This could be a nice wake-up call for everyone to realise it is not going to be as easy as people think.”
England’s Euro 2024 fixtures
Sunday, June 16
Matchday One: England v Serbia (8pm) – Arena AufSchalke, Gelsenkirchen
Thursday, June 20
Matchday Two: Denmark vs England (5pm) – Waldstadion, Frankfurt
Tuesday, June 25
Matchday Three: England vs Slovenia (8pm) – RheinEnergieStadion, Cologne
The Round of 16 will then get going on Saturday, June 29.
The knockout phase will run until the final in Berlin on Sunday, July 14.
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- What time is England vs Serbia? Date and UK kick-off time for Three Lions’ Euro 2024 opener in Germany
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