England and Serbia have announced their line-ups for their Euro 2024 clash in Group C.
Serbia have included most of their dangerous names from some of the world’s top clubs in their starting XI, including Dusan Vlahovic, Alexsandar Mitrovic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
Fiorentina defender Nikola Milenkovic will command things from the back while Mallorca goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic will be mopping things up in goal.
Dragan Stojkovic will be operating with his usual 3-4-1-2 system that includes wing-backs, with Filip Kostic in particular one to watch out for.
England have gone with the line-up many expected, with Harry Kane leading the line and Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Bukayo Saka filling in behind him.
🇷🇸🏴 England look to get their campaign off to a winning start against Serbia
👥 Here’s how both sides line-up:
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A midfield pivot made up by Declan Rice and Trent Alexandar-Arnold will be hoping to provide balance while ensuring the Three Lions play on the front foot, although there are plenty of options on the bench should Gareth Southgate need to tweak things.
In defence, Kieran Trippier is filling in for Luke Shaw, who is still not fully fit, while Marc Guehi, John Stones and Kyle Walker fill in across the rest of the backline.
Jordan Pickford is in goal for the Euro 2020 finalists.
The game in Schalke kicks off in less than an hour’s time at 8pm BST.
📰 Table Of Contents
‘Hard to stay calm’
Ahead of the game, Rice could not hide his excitement at England finally getting the opportunity to make up for losing in the final three years ago.
Speaking to UEFA, he said: “Pure excitement. You see us walking in and the atmosphere inside the stadium it is hard to stay calm and channel your emotions because it’s such a big game.
“Preparation has been amazing and there is only one thing on the mind tonight and that is to win.”
“I have always wanted to be a leader when I was young. I got to be captain at West Ham and being in this leadership group is amazing.”
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‘There will be pressure’
Milinkovic-Savic admitted it will be tough against England, but insists his team-mates need to remain calm ahead of the match.
He said: “We need to walk into it completely relaxed.
“No one who is currently on the team has ever played in a EURO, so we need to go in feeling completely cool-headed.
“Of course, there will be pressure, but we need to go there and enjoy it.For the time being, let’s focus on getting through the group.
“If that happens, let’s take each match as it comes.”
