There will be English interest in Thursday's clash at the Allianz Arena when Serbia and Slovenia face off in Group C.
England downed Dragan Stojkovic's physical and aggressive Serbia outfit on Matchday 1 to take command of the group, although the Serbs gave a pretty good account of themselves and may have felt they deserved at least a point in Gelsenkirchen.
They struggled to break down a deepening Three Lions defence, however, and victory is required on Thursday to bolster their chances of qualifying for last 16 automatically.
Slovenia will force them to work hard for all three points after they held Denmark to a 1-1 draw in their group opener. They may be the lowest-ranked nation in Group C, but Matjaz Kek's 4-4-2 block is well-drilled and there's a destructive talent up top who's threatening to make his mark on this tournament.
There are no expectations for Slovenia to advance into the knockouts, with plenty of supporters merely content with enjoying their country's first goal at the European Championship in 24 years. A maiden victory in this competition still eludes them.
Here is 90min's guide to the Euro 2024 Group C fixture between Slovenia and Serbia.
Slovenia vs Serbia H2H record (All Games)
Current form
Slovenia | Serbia |
|---|---|
Slovenia 1-1 Denmark - 16/06/24 | Serbia 0-1 England - 16/06/24 |
Slovenia 1-1 Bulgaria - 08/06/24 | Sweden 0-3 Serbia - 08/06/24 |
Slovenia 2-1 Armenia - 04/06/24 | Austria 2-1 Serbia - 04/06/24 |
Slovenia 2-0 Portugal - 26/06/24 | Cyprus 0-1 Serbia - 25/03/24 |
Malta 2-2 Slovenia - 21/03/24 | Russia 4-0 Serbia - 21/03/24 |
Country | TV channel / live stream |
|---|---|
United Kingdom | ITV1, ITVX, STV Scotland, STV Player |
United States | Fox Sports 1, Fox Sports App, Foxsports.com, ViX |
Canada | TSN4, TSN5, CTV, CTV App, TVA Sports, TVA+ |
Slovenia's success against Denmark means there are unlikely to be any changes to their starting XI for Thursday's game in Munich.
Benjamin Sesko will be hoping for a more productive afternoon after rattling the woodwork on Matchday 1, while fated goalscorer Erik Janza will once again start at left-back. Jan Oblak is searching for his first clean sheet of the tournament between the sticks.
Slovenia predicted lineup vs Denmark (4-4-2): Oblak; Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza; Stojanovic, Elsnik, Cerin, Mlakar; Sporar, Sesko.
Serbia have lost veteran wing-back Filip Kostic for the tournament after the Juventus star picked up a serious knee injury in the defeat to England. Panathinaikos' Filip Mladenovic could come into the side.
Stojkovic will also change tack and bring Dusan Tadic back into his starting XI, but the question is whether he sacrifices a midfielder or one of the front two. With Serbia needing all three points, he could retain Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic up top and allow Tadic to operate behind.
Serbia predicted lineup vs Slovenia (3-4-1-2): Rajkovic; Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Mladenovic; Tadic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic.
Slovenia were one of several plucky nations to impress on Matchday 1 and the onus will be on the superiorly talented Serbia to take the game to the 57th-ranked side in the world on Thursday.
However, despite their wealth of attacking talent, Stojkovic's side appeared toothless when tasked with breaking down a compact backline. They're heavily reliant on high-quality crosses and the absence of Kostic will serve as a big blow.
Another tight and cagey Group C affair should be expected. Sesko could provide the moment Slovenia require to earn a result as Serbia underwhelm in a 1-1 draw.