New Delhi: Slovenia will face Serbia in the UEFA Euro 2024 Group C draw in Allianz Arena, Munich today (Thursday, June 20). Both teams must play a must-win game to keep themselves alive in the competition and are separated by just a point in the points table.
With the memory of a loss against Denmark still fresh, Slovenia is gearing up for a crucial match. Erik Janza has kept his team’s hopes alive after scoring in the 77th minute in a game mostly dominated by the Danish.
Slovenia haven’t played in the European Championship since 2000, and their draw against Denmark in Stuttgart was their first participation in a major tournament since the 2010 World Cup. Currently, Slovenia stand 57th in the Fifa rankings and is yet to win a European Championship game. They arrive in this tournament unbeaten from seven international games in all competitions but have just registered one win in these seven matches.
Serbia lost their previous game against England 1-0. England threatened Serbia’s defence from the early minutes of the match, and though Serbia played a solid game, they were dominated by England throughout the game.
Serbia were a much better side in the second half and managed to put England under pressure. However, they still lacked a cutting edge in the final third, registering just one of their six shots on target. As a free nation, this is Serbia’s first time playing in this competition. Their defeat on Match Day 1 means they must register one win from their next two games to give them an outside chance to qualify for knockouts.
Serbia will consider this fixture against Slovenia a must-win before facing Denmark in their final Group C fixture. Serbia’s last two games against Slovenia have resulted in a 4-1 win and a 2-2 draw, which means they will head into Thursday’s game with more confidence.
Team News
Slovenia manager Matjaz Kek may keep an unchanged lineup for their Thursday game. The previous game’s goalscorer, Janza, will feature as the left-back and will be joined by Jaka Bijol, Vanja Drkusic and Zan Karnicnik as the back four, giving solid support to Atletico Madrid goalkeeper and team captain Jan Oblak.
Adam Gnezda Cerin and Tim Max Elsnik will again feature in the centre-midfield, with Petar Stojanovic and Jan Mlakar expected to continue their role in the Flank. There are rumours that Jasmin Kurtic, with his 92-cap appearance for the team, will also look to push for his selection.
Benjamin Sesko, who has scored 11 goals in 30 international appearances for the team, will be joined in front by Andraz Sporar.
In the Serbian camp, Filip Kostic has been ruled out for the rest of the Euro 2024 after sustaining a knee injury in their game against England. Filip Mladenovic is likely to replace him as the left wing-back. Sasa Lukic of Fulham and Nemanja Gudel of Sevilla are expected to continue in the centre-midfield. This may change if Dragan Stojković decides to move Sergej Milinkovic-Savic into a deeper role, having previously started as a number 10.
This could consequently open the door for playmaker Dusan Tadic, who featured against England as a substitute. The Serbian captain will play behind strikers Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic if the Serbian captain returns to the starting lineup.
Head to Head
Slovenia and Serbia have won a game against each other and played one draw. Both are balanced in their competition against each other. Slovenia looked in better form in their clash against Denmark. They also have a point to their name in the Group C points table. Serbia, though, have played more dominating games against Slovenia in the last two games these teams locked horns. Both these teams will hope to give themselves a chance to qualify for the knockouts.
Predicted lineups
Slovenia: Oblak; Karnicnik, Blazic, Bijol, Janza; Stojanovic, Gnezda Cerin, Elsnik, Mlakar; Sporar, Sesko
Serbia possible: V. Milinkovic-Savic; Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, S. Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Mladenovic; Tadic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic
When, where and how to watch the Slovenia vs Serbia match in India?
The Slovenia vs Serbia UEFA Euro 2024 match will be telecast live on Sony Sports Network in India. Live streaming of Euro 2024 will be available on SonyLIV app and website. The action begins at 6:30 pm IST tonight.
Slovenia and Serbia both will look to keep their hopes alive for a place in the knockouts. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
