UEFA EURO 2024 Group Stage
20 June, 2024 - Indian Date
Fußball Arena München
MATCH TIMES
India
06:30 PM
UAE
05:00 PM
Saudi Arabia
04:00 PM
MATCH LIVE INFO
Slovenia possible starting lineup: Oblak; Karnicnik, Blazic, Bijol, Janza; Horvat, Gnezda Cerin, Elsnik, Mlakar; Sesko, Sporar
Slovenia possible starting lineup: V. Milinkovic-Savic; Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, S. Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Mladenovic; Tadic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic
Match Preview
The psychology of tournament football often makes initial group standings deceptive, and Group C at EURO 2024 is no exception. After one round of fixtures, Serbia find themselves at the bottom of the group, but their narrow defeat to England highlighted several positives. On the other hand, Slovenia, in third place due to their yellow card count, will be satisfied with the deserved point they earned against Denmark.
Serbia’s match against England showcased their defensive strength and physicality in midfield, although their attack was lackluster. Their only significant threat to England’s goal came from a distant shot by Dušan Vlahović, which was also their sole shot on target. This limited offensive output was disappointing, especially considering England’s defense is considered their weak point.
Slovenia, meanwhile, had a slightly better offensive performance against Denmark. Despite only having one more shot on target than Serbia, they managed to score, with Erik Janža’s late equalizer earning them a valuable point. This goal dampened the narrative surrounding Christian Eriksen’s return to major tournament football, following his cardiac arrest three years earlier.
Historically, the encounters between Serbia and Slovenia have been fairly balanced. In their Euro 2012 qualifiers, they drew in Belgrade and Slovenia won narrowly in Ljubljana. More recently, in the 2022 Nations League, Serbia convincingly won 4-1 at home but the return match ended in a 2-2 draw. Serbia’s form has been inconsistent, with no consecutive wins since the last World Cup. Conversely, Slovenia have been more stable, remaining unbeaten in their last seven games since the beginning of 2023.
The upcoming match between Slovenia and Serbia is set to take place at Fußball Arena München on June 20, 2024. While Slovenia will rely heavily on Benjamin Šeško, who showed promise against Denmark, their success may largely depend on which version of the Serbian team turns up. If Serbia displays the same resilience they did against England, they could pose significant problems for Slovenia.
As per the bookmakers, Serbia are favored to win the match with odds of 1.75, while Slovenia have odds of 5.25 to win and 3.50 for a draw. Given the tight and low-scoring nature of the group so far, this match could go either way, making it a fascinating encounter to watch.