Who are in Group C?
It is a group of great interest to England fans as it includes the hopes of Gareth Southgate as well as Serbia, Slovenia and Denmark.
The action continues on Sunday when Slovenia take on Denmark in Stuttgart before England meet Serbia in Gelsenkirchen, home of Schalke.
England are the favorites to win this group, and it would be surprising if the Three Lions do not go out of the group unbeaten.
Second and third place – remember that the top four third-place finishers also advance to the play-offs – stand out.
If the FIFA world rankings are a guide, it will be Denmark (21) who will come out second, Serbia (33) third and Slovenia (57) fourth.
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Is he finally ‘Coming Home?’
However, England should be good enough to get through the group with few alarms. After that the painting will come down. Topping the group will ensure a round of 16 meeting with one of the third-placed teams for the ultimate goal.
On paper, England have the strongest squad in the tournament and World Cup finalists France – the team that defeated England in the quarter-finals in Qatar.
With that in mind, bet365 England are 2/5 to win Group C and 1/25 to qualify for the next stage.
They advanced to the qualifiers, winning six of their eight games, including a home and away win against defending European champions Italy.
It was also sweet revenge for Southgate and Co after going down to the Azzurri in the Euro 2020 final on penalties.
One notable difference to the side that is closer to 2021 is the development of two key players – Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. Both are now key men at their clubs, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
England’s success could depend on how they do in Germany, and how they are used by Southgate.
There are predictable cries for the handbrake to be released and for England to play Declan Rice as a lone midfielder, freeing up Foden to move through the middle alongside Bellingham.
It may be that Southgate feels confident to try it in the group stage but he may return to a more traditional formation for a more intense test that may await as the tournament progresses.
England also have an out-and-out number nine in world football in Harry Kane. The former Tottenham striker enjoyed a successful first season on his own at Bayern Munich, even if his drought continues.
Our fans. Our players. It’s our summer.
This is yours #Three Lions group announcement video of #EURO2024! pic.twitter.com/q9UGNzGs3p
– England (@England) June 6, 2024
How dangerous are the Danes?
If their last European Championship campaign is anything to go by, they could be a threat, although it is England who ended their run at the semi-final stage.
They did not play well in Qatar, finishing bottom of a group that included France, Australia and Tunisia.
Coach Kasper Hjulmand oversaw a qualifying campaign that saw them win Group H with a better head-to-head record against Slovenia, although question marks remain over the quality of the squad.
Bet365 have Denmark at 4/1 to win the group and 1/3 to qualify.
Hjulmand knows his team must get off to a good start with a win in a quick encounter against worthy Slovenia.
He told UEFA.com: “There are three strong players we have to face. Slovenia is an evenly matched opponent. We met them twice, we drew in one and we won one game at home 1-0. They are a strong team. I was impressed with their clear structure, imaginative plots, well-coached and great players. They have world-class players in the front and back of the field.
“Regarding England, since I started looking at England’s strategy, they came up with Gareth [Southgate]. With the quality and talent England have, they will win something in the next few years. They will be a tough nut to crack, but we have played some good games against England over the years. We were in the middle [UEFA] The Nations League also in 2020 won one game and drew one.
“There is also Serbia, who are a tricky team and have good skills, especially on the attacking side. A team that can beat anyone when they are on top. So they are equally matched competitors.”
They are strong in defense with the likes of Andreas Christensen, Simon Kjaer and Joachim Andersen all named in the squad. Denmark will be hoping that Christian Eriksen can return to top form and his Manchester United counterpart Rasmus Hojlund will need to score goals.
Christian Eriksen ❤️#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/vU2d2lvxbK
– UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 7, 2024
Serbia should not be let down
Serbia finished as runners-up in Group G, edging out Montenegro in third place and behind Hungary.
It was not a campaign to scare the likes of England and put them as a threat but then look at their squad and see the quality they have.
Any team with Dusan Tadic playing just behind Aleksander Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic must be respected.
Whether coach Dragan Stojkovic will have the courage to play all three is another story, but this former Yugoslavian player is a big fan of his two players.
He said: “Aleksandar Mitrović has shown many times how dedicated he is to the Serbian jersey.” He shows the same dedication to the teams he plays for. He is a guy you can trust. That is an important quality. Those are huge things as forwards can sometimes be selfish or look like one player who scores and decides the game.
“Dušan Vlahović, in my opinion, is one of the most talented forwards in Europe. You are still very young. What he has achieved in the last two or three years, when he succeeded and signed for a big club like Juventus, is all the result of his great dedication and the goals he scored. As a person he is a humble guy, which is very important.”
Serbia are 8/1 to win the group and 4/7 to qualify for the knockout stages with bet365.
So what about Slovenia?
However, if fitness is anything to go by, it really should be viewed in the same way as Denmark.
Both teams finished top of the qualifying group with 22 points from 10 games, which is an impressive record.
Their only losses were to Denmark and Finland when they played a draw at home against Hjulmand’s boys.
However, bookies see it differently. Slovenia are 10/1 to win the group and the outsiders to win and 5/4 with bet365.
Their challenge will be led by in-demand striker Benjamin Šeško.
Šeško enjoyed another strong season in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig and has reportedly caught the attention of Arsenal and Chelsea.
He has a release clause of £56million and strong Euros will see him playing Premier League football next season.
Šeško 🇸🇮💫#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/5bqwmQMGtr
– UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) June 3, 2024
Prediction
England should have the most of the other three teams in the pool, although don’t be surprised if Denmark hold Southgate’s men to a draw.
The second place seems open. Slovenia proved they are equal to Denmark in the qualifiers and Serbia have the ability to trouble any defence.
We’ll eat the Danes, anyway. Defensively they look solid and that might give them an edge.
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