England and Serbia will kick-start their Euro 2024 campaigns in Gelsenkirchen this weekend.
Serbia vs England odds
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Serbia vs England predictions
Before the action gets under way on Friday, England are the bookmakers’ favourites to win Euro 2024. Is that a fair reading of where Gareth Southgate’s side are at?
In this writer’s opinion, it is not. England are certainly among the leading contenders to claim gold this summer, but France are surely the team to beat.
Their squad is more balanced than England’s, while they also have a better record at recent tournaments having reached the last two World Cup finals.
What is more, there are still question marks over this England team ahead of their opener against Serbia.
Chief among them is the defence. Luke Shaw is unlikely to be fit enough to start at left-back, leaving the right-footed Kieran Trippier in that position in an awkward compromise.
Marc Guehi is in line to partner John Stones at centre-half. The Crystal Palace man is undoubtedly a solid defender, but he has never played in the Champions League or at an international tournament.
Moreover, the absence of Harry Maguire means England now lack an aerially dominant player in the heart of their backline.
There are also doubts over who will partner Declan Rice in midfield. Conor Gallagher is probably the favourite, but he is not the most defensively disciplined player – a charge that can also be levelled at Trent Alexander-Arnold. Kobbie Mainoo and Adam Wharton have talent but little in the way of experience.
None of this is to underplay England’s chances of triumphing this summer. Every team in the tournament has weak spots. But the 1-0 defeat by Iceland last week shows that the Three Lions are far from the complete package.
Still, it would be a major surprise if England did not win Group C. Denmark have the potential to cause them problems, but there is no reason why Southgate’s charges cannot take maximum points in the first part of the European Championship.
Can they go on to lift the trophy from there? Only time will tell.
Serbia vs England betting tips
England will expect to get off to a winning start when they face Serbia at Euro 2024 on Sunday.
England to win and both teams to score – 5/2 (Sky Bet)
Serbia headed into World Cup 2022 with the aim of reaching the round of 16. But despite scoring more goals than any other team in their group (including Brazil), they crashed out with a single point to their name.
Hopes are not so high this time around. The shine has gone off Dragan Stojkovic, a legendary player in his day but a manager whose acumen has been called into question of late.
Serbia will certainly be worth watching this summer, though. This is an attack-minded team willing to commit numerous bodies to every attack.
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Serbia have failed to score in only six of Stojkovic’s 39 games at the helm. Given England’s defensive vulnerabilities, they will be confident of making it six in 40 on Sunday.
Yet it is hard to look past an England win in terms of the overall result. Serbia have their own issues at the back and Southgate has plenty of firepower at his disposal.
A clean sheet could be beyond England, but a victory on matchday one is well within their grasp.
⚽ Go for an England win and both teams to score at 5/2 with Sky Bet ⚽
Over 2.5 goals – 10/11 (bet365)
England should pack a punch in attack this summer too. Their line-up includes the best player in England in 2023/24 in Phil Foden, the standout performer in Spain in Jude Bellingham, and the top scorer in Europe in Harry Kane.
Bukayo Saka is also a shoe-in for the starting XI, with the likes of Ebere Eze, Anthony Gordon, Ollie Watkins and Cole Palmer able to provide further creativity and goal threat off the bench.
Serbia’s forward-thinking approach is admirable, but it often leaves their defence exposed.
England will look to exploit the space behind the two wing-backs, Filip Kostic and Andrija Zivkovic, who take up advanced positions when Serbia are on the attack.
Remember, too, that if Serbia were to score at the Veltins-Arena, England would need two goals to win. That in turn would lead to there being over 2.5 in total.
⚽ Select over 2.5 goals at 10/11 with bet365 ⚽
Harry Kane to score any time – 11/10 (bet365)
For all the understandable talk about Bellingham and Foden, Kane remains England’s most important player.
If the captain was to get injured at Euro 2024, his team’s hopes of victory would be vastly diminished.
Kane is coming off the back of his most prolific season as a professional, having put the ball in the back of the net 44 times in 45 games for Bayern Munich.
Kane can score every type of goal. He is one of the most reliable finishers around and rarely fluffs his lines in a one-on-one situation.
The striker is also England’s designated penalty-taker, providing him with another route to get on the scoresheet.
⚽ Back Harry Kane to score any time at 11/10 with bet365 ⚽
📺 How to watch Serbia vs England
- Location: Veltins-Arena, Gelsenkirchen, Germany.
- Date and time: Sunday 16th June, 8pm.
- How to watch: BBC One.
Read more about Euro 2024
About the author
Greg Lea
Greg Lea is a freelance football writer from London. He predominantly covers the Premier League and has had work published by the Guardian, FourFourTwo, ESPN and others.
Follow Greg on X: @GregLeaFootball
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