England are among the favourites to win Euro 2024, with Gareth Southgate hoping that his team are able to give a good account of themselves in Germany. The Arena AufSchalke in Gelsenkirchen plays host to a clash where the Three Lions are warm favourites to land a victory, although they will be up against a team who could prove to be stubborn opponents.
At the previous European Championship and World Cup, England had a blip in their group against Scotland and USA respectively. They will be wary of the threat carried by a Serbia team who finished second in qualifying behind Turkey, winning four and drawing two of their eight clashes. Dusan Tadic captains the team and Aleksandr Mitrovic leads the line for the outsiders.
Nevertheless, England are blessed with quality in all departments and they have the sort of big game players who can help them achieve a positive opening result. Harry Kane’s switch from Tottenham to Bayern Munich has paid off hugely, with Jude Bellingham another Three Lions operator who is prospering since moving overseas.
Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold have also enjoyed some excellent form during the 2023/24 season and we can see England claiming a victory without conceding. They should have John Stones operating alongside Harry Maguire in central defence in front of the experienced Jordan Pickford, with England likely to be a popular accumulator pick.