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Steffen Schmidt - June 10, 2024
Euro 2024 Group C: Bellingham and Kane Will Bring Football Home, Denmark and Serbia Battling for the Runners-Up Spot
Group C promises entertainment with the tournament’s main favourites England, the 1992 champions Denmark, and two Balkans’ neighbours aiming to hurt the northern rivals.
Naturally, the Three Lions are the main contenders for the top spot. Can the other three outfits cause them any harm along the way? We provide everything you need to know about all four contestants in this thrilling section.
Will it finally come home? England came as close as they could have come three years ago on their soil. Gareth Southgate’s troops made it to the final of the 2020 Euro (which was played in 2021) where they fell on penalties to Italy in front of the home fans at Wembley Stadium.
The Three Lions looked good at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar but Harry Kane’s incredible misses proved too costly in the knockout stage against the latter finalists France.
England arrive in Germany as the main contender for the crown. The vast majority of Southgate’s key players have enjoyed brilliant campaigns for their respective clubs last season. Jude Bellingham has recently won his maiden Champions League trophy with Real Madrid. Phil Foden established himself as Manchester City’s key figure up front, Harry Kane broke Bundesliga records in his inaugural season at Bayern Munich, while the likes of Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, and Declan Rice led their respective teams this year.
As you all know, English problems appear at centre-back positions which is why we expect Gareth Southgate to keep his well-tested 4-2-3-1 formation. It will be very interesting to see where the English manager will use Bellingham because he has so many high-quality options at his disposal at the No. 10 position.
The Three Lions were dominant in the qualifications with six wins and two draws in eight outings against Italy, Ukraine, North Macedonia, and Malta. They’ve conceded just four goals in the process. They’ve returned to winning ways in the first pre-Euro test, beating Bosnia-Herzegovina 3-0 earlier this month at St. James’ Park.
Prediction: We will hear a lot of “Football is coming home” songs this summer. Considering the wealth of talent in the current England squad, the Three Lions may actually bring it home this time around.
Denmark reached the final four in the previous Euro edition. They fell just to England in the semi-finals then, losing 1-2 after extra-time. The Scandinavians are hoping to get their revenge against the Three Lions in Group C.
Kasper Hjulmand’s men will face another familiar opponent in this section. They shared the top of Euro qualifying Group H with the likes of Slovenia, another Group C contestant at the European Championship. The two teams ended the campaign with seven wins, one draw, and two defeats each in ten outings.
The Danes have an experienced back line and midfield, and a young attack. Christian Eriksen is the nation’s legend and the current club teammate of Denmark’s most lethal striker, Rasmus Hojlund. Neither of the two men have had a particularly strong season at Old Trafford although they did win the FA Cup with a win over city rivals in the last game of the season.
Coach Hjulmand constantly shits formations systems between a back-three and a back-four. It will be very interesting to see his modifications in all three group-stage outings, especially in the second round against England.
Prediction: On paper, Denmark are the main favourites for the runners-up spot in this group. While they may grab it, we are not convinced in their deep run in the knockout phases based on the form of their key players.
It’s been 24 years since Serbia have last featured at the European Championship. This fact sounds incredible if we know how talented globally-known stars the country has given birth to across the last two decades.
Although the qualification for the major continental tournament after such a lengthy break should be regarded as success on its own, the Serbian fans were not quite thrilled with the displays his lads have shown during the qualifying campaign. The Eagles came second in the group with Hungary, Montenegro, Lithuania, and Bulgaria.
Serbia did not impress at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar either, finishing their run after just two group-stage matches on the occasion. They fell to Austria 1-2 in Vienna in the first pre-tournament check at the start of the month.
That said, we would still not be shocked to see the Serbians doing damage in this group. Coach Dragan Stojkovic Piksi, once a famous player himself, has a dangerous attacking line to rely on. The likes of Dusan Vlahovic, Aleksandar Mitrovic (former Fulham target man), and Dusan Tadic can break down any defence on the planet.
The problems appear at the back, especially if Stojkovic decides to test the waters with four men at the back. He did so in a recent friendly against Austria only to shift the formation after conceding two early goals in Vienna.
Prediction: Serbia have the quality to advance from this group but we would by no means be surprised to see them eliminated after three inaugural matches.
Slovenia took advantage of the easier qualifying group to advance to their second European Championship. They shared the top of Group H standings with Denmark, finishing above the likes of Finland, Kazakhstan, Northern Ireland, and San Marino.
Nevertheless, Matjaz Kek’s men will face much more serious rivals at the Euro. Looking at the Slovenian roster, one can hardly find high-profile stars outside of Jan Oblak and Benjamin Sesko. Former Atalanta player Josip Ilicic will also feature but he is nowhere near his best form at the moment.
Kek likes to use the classic 4-4-2 formation with Petar Stojanovic and Sandi Lovric on the wings and Andraz Sporar partnering Benjamin Sesko in the final third. This formation gave them the famous 2-0 win over Portugal in an exhibition in March this year.
Prediction: Slovenia lack the quality and experience to compete in such a strong section. We see them as the main candidates for the foot of the standings in Group C.
England vs. Denmark:
A replay of the semi-final from the previous Euro. The Three Lions prevailed 2-1 after extra-time back then and they are even much greater favourites to come on top this time around.
Serbia vs. Slovenia:
The losing team in this duel will likely end the tournament in the group phase. Serbia are the favourites but can they justify the tag against local rivals from the Balkans?
England are the firm favourites. The other three places are up for grabs, Denmark slightly edging the Balkans’ sides going into the tournament. One thing is for sure, we will not miss out on the drama and we’ll also get to see whether football can come home this time around.
Also Read
Euro 2024 Group A Preview and Predictions
Euro 2024 Group B Preview and Predictions
Euro 2024 Group D Preview and Predictions
