When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups?
Slovenia and Serbia meet in their Second Group C match at UEFA EURO 2024.
Slovenia vs Serbia at a glance
When: Thrusday 20 June (21:00 GMT+8 kick-off)
Where: Munich Football Arena
What: UEFA EURO 2024 Group C Matchday 2
What do you need to know?
Slovenian newspaper Delo said the national side had taken their “first step toward fulfilling their dream in Germany” after left-back Erik Janža’s powerful hit earned them a 1-1 draw against Denmark. The teams face each other very much as equals; their previous eight senior encounters included a win for each country and six draws, though another one would be unlikely to satisfy either side in Munich.
Serbia lost 1-0 to England, never quite recovering from Jude Bellingham’s early header in Gelsenkirchen, but they will take huge confidence from the fact that they had one of the pre-tournament favourites rattled in the second half. Wily campaigners like Dušan Tadić and Aleksandar Mitrović are sure to keep Atlético de Madrid’s Jan Oblak busy in the Slovenia goal.
Possible line-ups
Slovenia: Oblak; Karničnik, Drkušić, Bijol, Janža; Stojanović, Gorenc Stanković, Gnezda Čerin, Mlakar; Šporar, Šeško
Serbia: Rajković; Veljković, Milenković, Pavlović; Živković, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Gudelj, Mladenović; Tadić; Mitrović, Vlahović
Form guide
Slovenia:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DDWWDW
Serbia:
Form (all competitions, most recent first): LWLWLD
Expert predictions
Grega Sever, Slovenia reporter
Slovenia’s inexperience showed in the opening minutes against Denmark, but after their well-deserved comeback in Stuttgart, stage fright should be a thing of the past. Whether they can reach the knockout stage for the first time may hinge on this match. Matjaž Kek’s charges will need a repeat of their second-half aggression versus the Danes to create and, more importantly, convert their chances. A packed stadium will provide a spectacular backdrop for this expected thriller.
Aleksandra Stojković, Serbia reporter
After an excellent performance in the second half of their 1-0 defeat to England, Serbia’s confidence has grown. They are well aware of what Slovenia can do but will be aiming to do a similar job in stifling Šeško as they did on Harry Kane. Should that happen, the Eagles will have much more space to create chances for their highly-rated forwards. This is a match Serbia think they can win: expect them to go flat out for the three points in Munich.
What the coaches say
Matjaž Kek, Slovenia coach: “Many of my players have never played in such a big competition. When we saw something was possible [in the opener against Denmark], they started playing. I think we will learn from this. When this team play their second or third big tournament, they will be much stronger from the outset.”
Dragan Stojković, Serbia coach: “We’re going to do whatever we can against Slovenia – we have to win that. I congratulate all the players [after the match against England] – there are no frustrations apart from the result. I don’t like losing but it’s part of the job.”