Serbia v England Prediction, Tips & Preview

We have a Serbia v England prediction for you plus a breakdown of the betting odds, team news and matchups ahead of the opening weekend of Euro 2024.

Serbia have been a mixed bag of results these last two years five wins, six defeats and two draws. However, they have considerable talent in their squad if they can get it right at Euro 2024.

England are one of the pre-tournament leading fancies but following a 0-1 defeat in their final warm-up against Iceland, they’ll need a win and a performance to avoid any early inquests from the British media.

How To Watch Serbia v England

When is Serbia v England?

Serbia v England will take place on Sunday at 8.00 pm

TV Channel

RTÉ 2

Stream

RTE Player

Where is Serbia v England Being Played?

Arena AufSchalke

Serbia v England Odds

Serbia are 6/1 to give England a huge early blow in Euro 2024, but England are far more fancied to win at 2/5. The draw is seen as a 10/3 shot.

Handicap Betting

Serbia: +1 @ 17/10

England: -1 @ 5/4

Handicap Draw: +1 @ 5/2

Serbia v England Weather Forecast

The weather is expected to be 19 degrees with a 15% chance of rain.

Serbia v England Preview

Serbia’s Form

Serbia qualified for Euro 2024 by finishing runners-up in their qualifying Group 4 points behind winners Hungary with their 14-point total from their matches against Montenegro, Lithuania and Bulgaria. They scored 15 goals on the way and conceded 9.

Despite qualifying for Euro 2024, their form in 2023 was less than consistent. That trend has seemingly continued into 2024 during the March Internationals; they were beaten 4-0 by Russia before having a 0-1 victory against Cyprus. Ahead of this tournament, they lost 2-1 against Austria but then did have a convincing 0-3 victory against Sweden.

Dragan Stojković has been in charge of Serbia since 2021 and has a record of 22 wins, 7 draws and 10 defeats for a win rate of 56.41%. He tends to favour a 3-4-2-1 formation but can occasionally switch to a more conventional 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3. They tended to dominate possession during qualifying averaging 58.7% but I’d put that down to the quality of their opponents. Key to their success in summer will be their typical Serbian physicality.

Serbia's Last Five Results

Sweden 0-3 Serbia | June 8th | Win

Austria 2-1 Serbia | June 4th | Loss

Cyprus 0-1 Serbia | March 25th | Win

Russia 4-0 Serbia | March 21st | Loss

Serbia 2-2 Bulgaria | November 19th | Draw

2 Wins, 2 Losses and 1 Draw

England’s Form

England dominantly qualified for Euro 2024 with 6 wins and 2 draws from their group with Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia and Malta. That put them 6 clear of Italy and Ukraine following 22 goals scored and only 4 conceded.

Albeit against generally strong opposition, England have not been in the best of form in 2024. They commenced their campaign with a 0-1 defeat against Brazil before drawing 2-2 against Belgium. The June window started more positively with a 3-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina but their final warm-up appearance against Iceland which they lost 0-1 could set alarm bells ringing in the media ahead of this game.

England has been managed by Gareth Southgate since 2016 following initially being appointed as interim manager and has been in charge ever since. In terms of his tenure with England (which has been hotly debated) but for all his critics he’s brought them to being a more consistent force on the international stage. Following a fourth finish at the 2018 World Cup that was followed by Euro 2020 Runners-Up finish and most recently a Quarter-Final appearance at the 2022 World Cup.

Southgate has made some bold calls in his squad selection (which he arguably previously avoided) following the omissions of the likes of Rashford, Grealish and former favourite Henderson. This squad certainly has the talent to win Euro 2024, but whether Southgate has the means to tactically lead them to glory against stronger sides, is still a question that needs to be addressed.

England’s Last Five Results

England 0-1 Iceland | June 7th | Loss

England 3-0 Bosnia and Herzegovina | June 3rd | Win

England 2-2 Belgium | March 26th | Draw

England 0-1 Brazil | November 21st | Loss

North Macedonia 1-1 England | November 20th | Draw

2 Losses, 2 Draws and 1 Win

Serbia v England Predicted Lineups

Serbia Predicted Starting XI (3-5-2)

GK: Rajković

RCB: Stojić, CB: Milenković, LCB: Pavlović

RM: Živković, RCM: Ilić, CM: Milinković-Savić, LCM: Lukić, LM: Mladenović

CF: Vlahović, CF: Mitrović

England Predicted Starting XI (4-2-3-1)

GK: Pickford

RB: Walker, CB: Stones, CB: Guehi, LB: Trippier

CM: Trent, CM: Rice

RW: Saka, AM: Bellingham, LW: Foden

CF: Kane

Serbia v England Head-To-Head Results

Serbia and England have never played a senior professional game (as their current identities). However, in June 2003, England had a 2-1 victory over Serbia & Montenegro.

Key Players To Watch

Aleksandar Mitrovic – Serbia

Serbia’s main marksman (which is no small feat in itself) and Vice-Captain will be their primary threat coming into this game. Following several seasons in England, he became one of the latest Saudi signings when he went to Al Hilal last August and since then he has continued his sensational scoring streak with 40 goals and 8 assists from 44 matches.

It's remarkable that a player who has been seemingly around forever is still only (29) and looks like a great bet to add to his 91 Caps and 58 Goals for Serbia at Euro 2024.

Jude Bellingham – England

While it would be easier to suggest that Captain and Record goalscorer Harry Kane holds the keys to England’s success in the tournament (and that’s certainly not without foundation). For me, the biggest games will be one in the middle of the park and that is where Jude Bellingham comes in.

The World Class Central Midfielder has already been capped 29 times and has scored 3 goals having only turned 20 last June. He is close to the perfect midfielder, already an elite passer and dribbler he could be set for a huge Euro 2024 tournament.

Serbia v England Prediction & Best Bet

Prediction: Serbia 0-2 England

Serbia has a strong squad with plenty of not just European Football experience at the highest level but several who will be familiar with this English squad, and they won’t fear them by any means.

England actually heads into this tournament in slightly ropey form which could lead to cause for concern if they don’t win their opening game. However, I do think they do enough to win even if it is only by a sole goal or two.

Best Bet: England Win + Under 2.5 Goals @ 5/2

*Prices are subject to fluctuation.

Remember, Always Gamble Responsibly.