Sports

Five Serbia players to watch against England

Share on facebook
Share on twitter
Share on linkedin
Share on pinterest
Share on telegram
Share on email
Share on reddit
Share on whatsapp
Share on telegram


Euro 2024 is Serbia’s first European Championship as an independent nation [Getty Images]

Finally arrived!

England begin their Euro 2024 campaign when they face Serbia at 8pm BST in their opening Group C match in Gelsenkirchen – a game you can watch live on BBC One.

Ranked 33rd in the world – 29 places below the Three Lions – Serbia came through qualification after finishing runners-up behind Hungary in a group that also included Montenegro, Lithuania and Bulgaria.

Who are the players who want to upset Gareth Southgate’s team?

BBC Sport looks at five members of the Serbian squad who could play a key role.

Vanja Milinkovic-Savic – the goalkeeper who signed for Man Utd

Vanja Milinkovic-Savic poses before the start of Euro 2024Vanja Milinkovic-Savic poses before the start of Euro 2024

An experienced goalkeeper, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic played club football in Serbia, Poland, Italy and Belgium.

The 27-year-old was signed by Manchester United at age 17 in 2014, but left after failing to obtain a work permit.

Having played a prominent role in the qualifying phase, they are expected to face England, although there are some Serbian fans who would prefer to see Chelsea’s Djordje Petrovic start.

Milinkovic-Savic helped Torino to a ninth-place finish in Serie A in 2023-24. He is the younger brother of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who spent eight years at Lazio and plays in midfield for Serbia.

Nikola Milenkovic, of Serbia, pushes Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, of Switzerland, during a 2022 World Cup match in QatarNikola Milenkovic, of Serbia, pushes Swiss midfielder Granit Xhaka, of Switzerland, during a 2022 World Cup match in Qatar

Nikola Milenkovic (left) played in all eight of Serbia’s Euro 2024 qualifiers and had a passing accuracy of 90.63% [Getty Images]

Right central defender Nikola Milenkovic is about to represent his country in a third major tournament.

The 26-year-old played alongside former Premier League players Nemanja Matic and Branislav Ivanovic at the 2018 World Cup, and also played for Qatar four years later.

They led Cameroon 3-1 and Switzerland 2-1 in the 2022 tournament, before drawing 3-3 and losing 3-2 respectively.

The Eagles will hope that Milenkovic’s experience – he spent seven years playing for Fiorentina in Serie A – will ensure they do not implode on the big stage again.

Serbia's Dusan Tadic reacts during the Euro 2024 qualifier against HungarySerbia's Dusan Tadic reacts during the Euro 2024 qualifier against Hungary

Dusan Tadic scored two goals and provided four assists in the qualifiers [Getty Images]

It’s been eight years since Dusan Tadic and Virgil van Dijk helped Southampton beats Inter Milan in the Europa League on a memorable night at St Mary’s Stadium.

At 35, Tadic is still Serbia’s main player and is expected to captain his country against England.

He scored a few goals in the qualifying phase and in March surpassed Branislav Ivanovic as Serbia’s most capped player.

Tadic plays in Türkiye for Fenerbahçe, who have just appointed José Mourinho as head coach.

Lazar Samardzic celebrates his club Udinese's goal against Salernitana in Serie A in August 2023Lazar Samardzic celebrates his club Udinese's goal against Salernitana in Serie A in August 2023

Lazar Samardzic started his career at Hertha Berlin [Getty Images]

Lazar Samardzic may not be an automatic starter, but he is definitely someone to watch if he emerges.

The 22-year-old, who plays as an attacking midfielder or winger, was born in Berlin and represented Germany at various levels up to under-21s.

He is seen as an eventual successor to Dusan Tadic as the Serbian national team’s creative and influential force.

Samardzic plays his club football in Italy for Udinese, with two of his six Serie A goals in 2023-24 coming in matches against AC Milan and Inter Milan.

More recently, Samardzic has been linked to both Westham It is Nottingham Forest.

    Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates goal against Montenegro in Euro 2024 qualifiers    Aleksandar Mitrovic celebrates goal against Montenegro in Euro 2024 qualifiers

Aleksandar Mitrovic scored five goals in seven qualifying matches and provided one assist [Getty Images]

Having played in the Premier League for Fulham and Newcastle United, Aleksandar Mitrovic will have extra motivation to make an impact against England.

The 29-year-old, who scored 38 goals in 129 games in the English top flight, now plays in the Saudi Pro League.

Serbia’s top scorer in the qualifiers, with five goals, Mitrovic has an excellent international record of 58 goals in 91 games for his country.

Known for his fighting spirit, his teammates hope he doesn’t surpass the mark he should start ahead of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.



Source link

Support fearless, independent journalism

We are not owned by a billionaire or shareholders – our readers support us. Donate any amount over $2. BNC Global Media Group is a global news organization that delivers fearless investigative journalism to discerning readers like you! Help us to continue publishing daily.

Support us just once

We accept support of any size, at any time – you name it for $2 or more.

Related

More

1 2 3 6,300

Don't Miss