A busy opening Sunday of football at the European Championships in Germany brings another trio of fixtures in the opening round of pool phase action.
Beaten Euro 2020 finalists England are among the favourites again, with Serbia their opening Group C assignment.
Their clash comes after Slovenia meet Denmark, while Poland and the Netherlands contest the first Group D game in Hamburg to kick off the day.
*All kick off times in local time.
Group D: Poland vs Netherlands – 15.00
A potentially tournament-defining fixture kicks off Euro 2024 for Poland and the Netherlands on Sunday afternoon, when they collide at Hamburg’s Volksparkstadion.
Both nations have flirted with success since the turn of the century, but have endured fallow times more recently.
The Poles in particular are only across the border in neighbouring Germany by the skin of their teeth, having squeezed past 10-man Wales in a play-off final penalty shootout following a dodgy campaign that even saw them humiliated by lowly Moldova.
A change of coach from Fernando Santos – a Euro 2016 winner with Portugal – to Michal Probierz just about did the trick.
But, with Wojciech Szczesny bowing out of the international scene after this competition and with fellow veteran and icon Robert Lewandowski ruled out for at least this opening game by injury, life doesn’t seem to be getting any easier for the Poles.
The Dutch have been blighted by injuries of their own and lost Barcelona star Frenkie de Jong on the eve of the tournament.
Boss Ronald Koeman, in his second stint at the helm, edged them through qualifying, with the mission now to at least match their Round of 16 effort three years ago at the delayed Euro 2020.
Back then it was a dispiriting exit at the hands of the Czech Republic, while the Poles were bundled winless out of a group containing Spain, Sweden and Slovakia.
Group C: Slovenia vs Denmark – 18.00
A qualification opportunity is in the offing for Slovenia and Denmark as they begin their Euro 2024 campaigns on Sunday, particularly if one can collect all three points from their Group C opener in Stuttgart.
The Danes were the centre of attention for better and worse at the delayed Euro 2020 three years ago.
A fairytale run to the semi-finals of the continent-wide event saw them win universal admiration, not least in the terrifying wake of the cardiac arrest suffered on the pitch by star man Christian Eriksen.
That the now veteran midfielder is not only healthy, but still on the international football scene following his recovery, is a wonderful postscript.
But it’s not been smooth sailing for coach Kasper Hjulmand and his charges, who were bundled out of the 2022 Fifa World Cup in Qatar at the first hurdle, before coming through Euros qualifying level on points with their opening opponents here.
So familiar faces will meet again – and there are a couple of standouts looking to light up only a second European Championship appearance for the Slovenians.
There’s class at both ends of the field in the shape of La Liga star Jan Oblak in goal, while hotshot Benjamin Sesko has emerged as one of the most sought-after young strikers on the continent in recent seasons.
Their task is to lift a nation beyond the first phase of a major tournament for the first time, with the underdogs having also featured at a brace of World Cups since their formation following the break up of Yugoslavia.
Group C: Serbia vs England – 21.00
England kick off their attempt to go one step further at the European Championships when they make their Euro 2024 bow against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday night.
The Three Lions’ bid to lift the trophy for the first time ended in heartbreak at their own Wembley Stadium three years ago, as Italy came through winners of a nerve-shredding final thanks only to a penalty shootout.
But long-serving coach Gareth Southgate’s side are packed with talent, not least with the emergence of Jude Bellingham and captain Harry Kane having a first season with German giants Bayern Munich under his belt.
Qualifying was a doddle as they went unbeaten to push their final nemesis Italy firmly into the runners-up slot.
It helped to put yet more agony from their quarter-final World Cup exit to France into the background, as Southgate gears up for what is likely his final tilt at a title before moving on from the role.
In Serbia they meet an opponent making their first appearance in the competition as an independent nation.
They have, however, reached four of the last five Fifa World Cups, albeit without bothering the knockout stages, which they only managed with a Round of 16 appearance on debut at France ’98.
Qualification was awkward to reach Germany, too, but Dragan Stojkovic piloted his squad to a second-placed Group G finish behind Hungary – and ahead of neighbours Montenegro.
Poland v Netherlands
Result prediction | draw |
Over/Under prediction | over 2.5 goals |
HT / FT prediction | Netherlands / draw |
Team to Score prediction | both teams |
Anytime Goalscorer prediction | R. Lewandowski(Poland), G. Wijnaldum(Netherlands), M. Depay(Netherlands), D. Dumfries(Netherlands) |
Slovenia v Denmark
Result prediction | Denmark to win |
Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
HT / FT prediction | Denmark / Denmark to win |
Team to Score prediction | Denmark |
Anytime Goalscorer prediction | K. Dolberg(Denmark) |
Serbia v England
Result prediction | England to win |
Over/Under prediction | under 2.5 goals |
HT / FT prediction | England / England to win |
Team to Score prediction | England |
Anytime Goalscorer prediction | H. Kane(England) |