Gareth Southgate has named a bold squad for the tournament. The likes of Marcus Rashford, Jordan Henderson, Kalvin Phillips and Jack Grealish have dropped out since the World Cup in Qatar, with a host of exciting younger players stepping up.
It will be fascinating to see how England handle the pressure. After so many near-misses in the Southgate era, it feels like now or never for this team under their current boss.
Serbia, meanwhile, struggled at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and arrive in Germany largely free of expectation.
Here’s everything you need to know about the game.
Date, kick-off time and venue
Serbia vs England is scheduled for an 8pm BST kick-off time on Sunday 16 June, 2024.
The Arena AufSchalke (Veltins-Arena) in Gelsenkirchen will host.
Where to watch Serbia vs England
TV channel: In the UK, the game will be broadcast on free-to-air coverage on BBC One. Coverage starts at 7pm.
Live stream: The BBC iPlayer and BBC Sport website will both show a free live stream online.
Live blog: Follow all the action LIVE with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog! Our reporters Malik Ouzia and Dan Kilpatrick will be at the ground to provide expert analysis.
Serbia vs England team news
Aleksandar Mitrovic and Dusan Vlahovic will lead the line for Serbia against a reasonably untested England defence, with Dusan Tadic pulling the strings.
Luke Shaw will not be fit for the game, though there is hope the Manchester United defender can feature in the group stage after a muscle injury ruled him out of action since February.
There have also been worries over a knock to Bukayo Saka but every player in the England squad took part in training on Thursday, with Stones having also overcome an illness issue.
John Stones suffered an injury scare for England against Iceland
REUTERS
Serbia vs England prediction
There are questions to be asked of this England defence but they should have enough firepower to get off to a winning start.
Head to head (h2h) history and results
The two teams have not met since Serbia began playing under their current identity in 2006.
Joe Cole scored a late winner when England beat Serbia and Montenegro in a 2003 friendly while they held a record of five wins, five draws and four defeats against Yugoslavia from 1939 to 1989.
Serbia vs England latest odds
Odds via Betfair and subject to change.
