Serbia – Squad, fixtures, odds and predictions

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Serbia – Euro 2024 Overview

Serbia’s journey in major championships such as the Euros and the World Cup has been turbulent, with a history marked by the legacy of the former Yugoslavia. Since the country became independent in football terms in 2006, Serbia has encountered difficulties, with early exits in the group stage in both South Africa and Russia, as well as missed qualification for the World Cup in Brazil. The European Championship finals in Germany will actually be Serbia’s first appearance as an independent nation.

In Euro 2000, they participated under Serbia-Montenegro and performed well, progressing to the last eight.quite. After a second place finish, behind Spain, in the group stage the quarter-final against the Netherlands awaited. This proved to be a bridge too far and they suffered a 6-1 loss.

Standout players over the years include a range of legendary names. Dejan Stanković is one of the most prominent, known for his skill and good leadership. Other key players include defender Nemanja Vidić, of Manchester United fame, left-back Aleksandar Kolarov and striker Aleksandar Mitrović, who are in this year’s European Championship squad.

In the Euro 2024 finals in Germany , Serbia will face England, Slovenia and Denmark in Group C. A challenging group where England can be seen as the clear favourite ahead of Denmark and Slovenia as the worst ranked nation.

For further details on Euro 2024 as a whole check out our tournament preview.

How Serbia qualified for Euro 2024?

Serbia qualified for the Euro finals in Germany in the last round of fixtures after drawing 2-2 at home to Bulgaria while Montenegro lost 3-1 away to Hungary. This saw a second place finishe in the group behind Hungary after four wins, two draws and two losses, which gave the Serbs 14 points in total.

Serbia Euro 2024 squad

Serbia’s Euro 2024 squad looks interesting on paper with a range of individuals that could cause a lot of problems for England, Denmark and Slovenia. Dragan Stojković has put together a strong mix of old and young, where captain Dušan Tadić, Filip Kostić, Aleksandar Mitrović and Sergej Milinković-Savić provide experience and Strahinja Pavlović, Dušan Vlahović and Ivan Ilić point to Serbia’s future as well as the present.

Between the posts, there are a lot of good goalkeepers available, but during the Euro 2024 finals, the battle for first choice custodian is between Vanja Milinković-Savić and Predrag Rajković. They are two top goalkeepers who have a lot of experience and are regulars in their respective club teams, Torino and Mallorca.

At the back they have two strong leaders in Nemanja Gudelj and Miloš Veljković and in the middle of the park, Saša Lukić controls things along with Sergej Milinković-Savić.

Up top Serbia have two high-class forwards in Aleksandar Mitrović and Dušan Vlahović. With the right balance and a strong group dynamic, this group of players can potentially shake up most teams at the finals.

Stojković usually prefers to use a 4-2-3-1 system.  The way the Serbs use this shape provides a balance between defence and attack, with two defensive midfielders shielding the back four and providing stability, an attacking midfielder who controls play and supports the striker, and a forward as the focal point. The system also allows flexibility to adapt to different opponents and match situations.

Key players

Here we have listed three of the key players in the Serbian European Championship 2024 squad:

• Dušan Vlahović – Juventus attacking star who averages more than a goal every two games for Serbia. A powerful striker with good physique,strong in the air and adept at creating goalscoring chances. He was Serbia’s second top scorer in the qualifiers with three goals plus an assist.
• Sergej Milinković-Savić – The former Lazio player is a celebrated midfielder with a combination of physique, technique and football intelligence. His strength and aerial skills make him useful in both the penalty areas, especially on set-pieces, while his passing ability and game awareness make him a reliable conductor in midfield. Currently plays in Saudi Al Hilal, alongside Mitrović.
• Aleksandar Mitrović – All-time top scorer in the Serbian national team, Mitrovic scores goals in both international and club football. At Fulham, the 29-year-old managed 97 goals in 173 competitive matches before his move to Saudi Arabia, where he has continued to find the net. He is a strong, skillful striker who is a threat in the air. On the downside there are issues with his temperement.

Serbia Odds at Euro 2024

Serbia are considered outsiders to win the tournament, however, most bookmakers expect them to be strong contenders to make the knockout stages. England and Denmark are both expected to fair better than Serbia, however, they are a team capable of upsetting the odds and, should either slip up, the Serbs may qualify, or may make it through as one of the best third placed sides.

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Serbia Euro 2024 Fixtures

These are the fixtures for Group C, with Serbia’s matches highlighted, along with the potential dates for the knockout stages.

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