Opta Match Center provides all the stats and figures you require ahead of England’s game against Serbia at Arena AufSchalke.
England are dominating possession, yet still lack the spark they require. Trippier passes the ball to Alexander-Arnold who passes back out for Rice who takes aim but shoots over the bar.
In this article, we will discuss the high lights of Serbia National Football Team vs England National Football Team Stats.
Serbia Starting XI:
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Predrag Rajković | Goalkeeper |
| 4 | Nikola Milenković | Centre-Back |
| 13 | Miloš Veljković | Centre-Back |
| 2 | Strahinja Pavlović | Centre-Back |
| 14 | Andrija Živković | Right Wing-Back |
| 11 | Filip Kostić | Left Wing-Back |
| 6 | Nemanja Gudelj | Central Midfield |
| 22 | Saša Lukić | Central Midfield |
| 20 | Sergej Milinković-Savić | Central Midfield |
| 9 | Aleksandar Mitrović | Forward |
| 7 | Dušan Vlahović | Forward |
England Starting XI:
| No. | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Pickford | Goalkeeper |
| 2 | Kyle Walker | Right-Back |
| 5 | John Stones | Centre-Back |
| 6 | Marc Guéhi | Centre-Back |
| 12 | Kieran Trippier | Left-Back |
| 4 | Declan Rice | Central Midfield |
| 8 | Trent Alexander-Arnold | Central Midfield |
| 7 | Bukayo Saka | Right Midfield |
| 10 | Jude Bellingham | Attacking Midfield |
| 11 | Phil Foden | Left Midfield |
| 9 | Harry Kane (c) | Forward |
1. Aleksandar Mitrovic
Mitrovic made waves during Serbia’s qualifying campaign, ending up as top scorer for their group. Now he must play an essential role for his nation this summer.
He fired three off target shots against Denmark on Tuesday, looking particularly dangerous whenever breaking into one-on-one situations and harassing Filip Kostic – something which will likely shape how this tournament goes for Serbs.
England are in their own half, where Bellingham and Rice have become involved with Gallagher working it to Alexander-Arnold who crosses low for Walker to nod home. Milinkovic-Savic attempts a first-time through ball for Vlahovic but Rice steps across and blocks it, winning them a throw-in as punishment. England are adopting a more patient approach now; moving the ball around well. Bellingham and Rice combine again but Liverpool ace Cannot find shooting space.
2. Dusan Vlahovic
Vlahovic has been an energetic star for Serbia, showing incredible speed and technique while rolling and spinning opponents to create an immense threat for defenses.
At full-back, he poses a threat, often attacking down the right flank. Pickford held firm and saved a volley on the edge of the box from him to keep scores level by half-time.
England have only managed one victory against Serbia over their past five matches, though that is no reflection of their efforts. They dominated possession in the second half but saw one chance from Saka being cleared behind for a corner as England prepared to bring on Kobbie Mainoo. England’s back four were impressive with Guehi and Rice showing well while front three players need to step up efforts more so as to score goals more consistently.
3. Dusan Tadic
Gareth Southgate has decided to field an extra defensive midfielder, replacing Foden with Jarrod Bowen. Within minutes of being introduced he makes an immediate impression, driving towards the right-hand byline before cutting in and sending in an inviting cross into the box where Kane gets his head on it but Rajkovic blocks it!
Serbia begins to show more offensive intent, working the ball to Vlahovic near the edge of England’s penalty area, who attempts to shoot but Guehi makes an excellent block. Meanwhile, England misses an opportunity when Foden can’t control a pass inside their box and misses his shot wide.
4. Veljkp Birmancevic
England open the second half with more energy, yet struggle to break through Serbia’s defense. Bellingham attempts a pirouette around it but is called offside by referee Daniele Orsato.
Milinkovic-Savic attempts to feed Vlahovic inside England’s box with a first-time through ball, but Rice quickly disarms him and stops it from crossing into Vlahovic’s path. Since the break, the pattern of play has drastically shifted in favor of Serbs with increased possession on their side of the pitch.
Gareth Southgate’s side earn a free-kick after John Stones loses possession in Serbia’s box, but Foden claims he was fouled, which results in their opportunity being lost. Saka then attempts to play loose ball into Serbian area but his effort was blocked by their defence and cleared away by England defenders. England remain dominant, winning another corner as time ticked past 62 minutes – this time due to an accidental mix-up between Walker and Rice which saw it roll away for throw.
5. Filip Mladenovic
Filip Mladenovic plays for Panathinaikos of Super League Greece and represents Serbia on both teams. On Sunday in their 1-0 defeat by England, Mladenovic recorded four crosses (none accurate) and one corner during 47 minutes he played; this left-back later made way for injured defender Filip Kostic and made up part of their starting eleven.
Serbia currently rank 18th globally and, despite being drawn in an extremely challenging group, have an excellent chance of reaching the knockout phase and progressing all the way to the final.
On 24 April 2012, Dejan Stankovic and Nemanja Vidic announced their retirement from international football, with Branislav Ivanovic becoming captain and Sinisa Mihajlovic appointed coach of Serbia’s squad. Serbia kicked off their qualifying campaign alongside Croatia, Belgium, Scotland Macedonia Wales; drawing goalless with Scotland before beating them 6-1 before losing against Macedonia and Belgium.
6. Nemanja Gudelj
Gudelj has suffered a severe knee injury which could put him out for the duration of this tournament – an enormous setback given he was an almost guaranteed starter before suffering his setback.
England win a free-kick near the edge of Serbia’s box following a mix-up between Stones and Walker. Alexander-Arnold attempts to cross, but Guehi blocks it.
Since Serbia took the lead, the pattern of play has drastically shifted. They now hold possession more often, and their fast break threatens to create chances. Milinkovic-Savic attempted to feed Vlahovic on the edge of England’s box via first time through ball but Guehi blocked. Foden then sent one into the box but Bellingham wasn’t able to latch onto it.
7. Aleksandar Milinkovic-Savic
Serbia gain another opportunity to attack as Saka tries to send Alexander-Arnold through with an attempted pass, only for it to be cut out by Kane who makes an unsuccessful run towards the box and fails to land it with sufficient accuracy resulting in its going wide of Kane’s run.
He then attempts to play Vlahovic a first-time through ball on the edge of England box, but Guehi stood up well and blocked. That marked a distinct change in patterns.
Milinkovic-Savic was one of the star attractions at this competition, yet didn’t see much action under Muslin and eventually lost his starting place to Krstajic. Since his coach changed, however, Milinkovic-Savic has seen action three times under Krstajic and is among many promising prospects within Serbian side.
8. Luka Jovic
Luka Jovic is one of the biggest threats in this Serbia squad at just 21 years old, playing for Frankfurt and Benfica respectively. Though his demeanour may sometimes appear nonchalant or passive, his deceptively potency in opposition boxes proves otherwise.
Milinkovic-Savic feeds Jovic a low ball into his run into the penalty area, but the striker fails to control it and Walker clears. Immediately thereafter, the pattern of play has altered.
England begin the second half with some composed possession, as Rice and Alexander-Arnold combine on the right to create an opening for Kane on his low shot, only for it to be blocked by Rajkovic. Bellingham wins a header off a corner kick but his effort goes wide of its target.
9. Dusan Rajkovic
The Serbia men’s national football team (Serbian Cyrillic: Fudbalska reprezentacija Srbije) represents Serbia internationally in international competition and is managed by the Football Association of Serbia – an umbrella body for football within Serbia.
Dusan Vlahovic is an accomplished striker who has represented Serbia at senior international level 32 times, playing as a center forward in most of his club football matches and scoring 13 times for their national side. Currently signed to Arsenal FC as an Arsenal target player.
Serbia had an inauspicious start to their World Cup qualifying campaign and found themselves only three points off an automatic play-off spot at the final group stage after suffering losses against Italy and Slovenia respectively. Coach Radomir Antic was dismissed two games into qualification following an 1-1 home draw against Slovenia; Ilija Petkovic then replaced him.
10. Dusan Vlahovic
Dusan Vlahovic of Serbia is always searching for ways to enter the penalty area and makes double moves toward possession and then away – this allows him to isolate central defenders while creating more space to shoot from.
Gareth Southgate’s side have held on to most of the possession, yet have failed to create an obvious opportunity. Bellingham beat Ilic to the left wing before trying to spin past him but referee Daniele Orsato pulled him back for a foul.
Milinkovic-Savic and Jovic join forces in an impressive move, but Jovic’s attempt at passing to Luka Jovic falls short due to his touch going stale. Predrag Rajkovic punches away Alexander-Arnold’s powerful shot with one punch from Predrag Rajkovic; thus shifting possession towards Serbia.