Euro 2024: Serbia key threats, best players and manager ahead of opening group game against England

England’s first game of Euro 2024 isn’t far away. The Three Lions will take on Serbia on Sunday, June 16 - but what will Gareth Southgate’s men need to look out for?

In this piece, we’ll be taking a closer look at Serbia’s key players ahead of Euro 2024 - additionally, we’ll also look at their head coach and the approach he might take. Their pre-tournament friendlies were a mixed bag - they picked up an impressive 3-0 win over Sweden, but fell to a 2-1 defeat against Austria.

Who are Serbia’s key threats against England?

Serbia’s biggest strengths come in their attacking ranks. They have a surplus of quality strikers, including Dusan Vlahovic, Luka Jovic and former Newcastle United and Fulham forward Aleksandar Mitrovic.

They are no slouches in midfield, either. Sergej Milinković-Savić is their standout player in the middle of the park - he is backed up by players such as Fulham’s Sasa Lukic and rising star Ivan Ilic. Furthermore, Juventus star Filip Kostic is an excellent creative influence, as is veteran attacking midfielder Dusan Tadic.

Like England, Serbia’s weakness is in their backline. They lack a natural right-back and only have one left-back in the squad, but they are not completely bereft of quality at the back. Strahinja Pavlovic, who plays for RB Salzburg, is likely to be their key defender.

Who is their manager?

Serbia have been managed by former Red Star Belgrade and Marseille midfielder Dragan Stojković since 2021. He led them to a 4th placed finish in their 2022 World Cup group - however, the strength of their opponents should be taken into consideration while processing this information.

Serbia were drawn against Cameroon, Brazil and Switzerland. While they only picked up a single point, Stojkovic’s propensity for playing attacking football was on full display. They lost 3-2 to Switzerland and picked up a 3-3 draw against Cameroon - the Three Lions will have to be prepared for an offensive onslaught when the two outfits come to blows on Sunday.