Slovenia vs Serbia

Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena forms the backdrop for a pivotal Euro 2024 Group C encounter between Slovenia and Serbia.

Slovenia’s return to a major international tournament since their underwhelming 2010 World Cup exit didn’t start to plan. Matjaz Kek’s team fell behind in the opening 20 minutes of their day-one clash against Denmark. However, they fought back in the second half to claim a 1-1 draw and preserve their impressive record of avoiding defeat in all three internationals they’ve started as underdogs in 2024 following a pair of wins ‘to nil’ against Portugal and the United States. Those results form part of Slovenia’s inspiring seven-game unbeaten streak (W4, D3), which sets the Slovenians up nicely for this tournament-defining fixture. This game could go back and forth, considering five of those seven matches have seen both teams scoring, including the last three.

On the other hand, Serbia’s first appearance at the European Championships as an independent nation was expectedly off to a losing start as pre-tournament favorites England toppled them 1-0. Despite growing into the contest following a slow entry, the Serbs only mustered one shot on target in their curtain-raising outing. Serbia’s decent defensive showing was unsurprising, given they only conceded nine times in eight qualifying matches. England’s goal meant the Eagles’ 20th consecutive game didn’t end 0-0, highlighting the potential for an action-packed contest. Manager Dragan Stojkovic has vowed to get his team back on track in this fixture, perhaps buoyed by Serbia’s results against Slovenia in the 2022 UEFA Nations League (2-2 away, 4-1 home).