Serbia - England predictions and free betting tips [16/06/2024]

On Sunday, June 16, as part of the first round of the Euro 2024 group stage, the Serbian national team will face England. Neither of these teams has won a continental championship since the tournament's inception in 1960, which makes them determined to succeed this time around.

Stadium

The match will be held in Gelsenkirchen at the Veltins-Arena.

Serbia

Serbia participated in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but failed to win a match in the group stage, recording two losses and a draw with Cameroon. The Balkan team finished second behind Hungary in their qualifying group, losing to the red-greens twice (1-2 at home and 2-1 in Budapest). This will be Serbia’s first appearance in the European Championship since gaining independence.

Recently, the White Eagles have struggled: losing to Belgium in November (1-0), drawing with Bulgaria (2-2), and suffering a heavy defeat to Russia in March (4-0). A narrow victory over Cyprus (0-1) brought little joy to their fans, especially after failing to overcome Austria in early June (2-1). However, they convincingly defeated Sweden (0-3) thanks to goals from Milinković-Savić, Mitrović, and Tadić. Notably, Serbia's defence has been leaky, keeping just two clean sheets in their last 12 matches across all competitions.

England

Playing at home during the previous Euros, England had an excellent chance to secure their first continental trophy, but Italy stood in the way, and the Three Lions lost in the final via penalty shootout at Wembley. The following year, Gareth Southgate’s team faced another disappointment at the World Cup, losing 2-1 to France in the quarter-finals.

On paper, the English were clear favourites in their qualifying group, achieving 6 wins and 2 draws to top the group, ahead of Italy and Ukraine. In March, the British surprisingly lost at home to Brazil (0-1) and drew with Belgium (2-2). Early in June, they began Euro preparations with a resounding victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina (3-0) but then succumbed to Iceland at Wembley (0-1). England has also faced defensive issues, conceding in four of their last five games across all competitions.

Head-to-Head

These teams have never met in their history.

Match Prediction: Serbia vs. England

England, deemed one of the main favourites to win the tournament and eager to atone for their shock defeat to Iceland last Friday, will aim to seize control of Group C from the outset. Although Serbia boasts a quality squad, they lack experience compared to their opponent, having never competed in the Euros. My prediction is a hard-fought victory for the Three Lions by 1-2 goals.

Total Prediction

Given that one-third of Serbia's goals in the qualifiers were headers – the highest among the 24 Euro 2024 teams – and England is without Harry Maguire, it seems Jordan Pickford could have a challenging day at the Veltins-Arena. Considering Serbia’s star-studded attack led by Mitrović, it makes sense to bet on both teams to score.

Corner Prediction

There’s no doubt England will be on the front foot, attacking more, but set-pieces offer Serbia an excellent chance to breach the compact defence of a superior opponent. I wager on the nominal home team’s individual total corners over 4.5.

Yellow Card Prediction

Serbia will likely play on the back foot and defend more, leading to more fouls. I predict the Balkan team to win the yellow card battle.

Score Prediction

I predict a final score of 1-2 in favour of England.