England begins chase for UEFA Euro 2024 title against Serbia on TSN
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England had to watch Italy celebrate the UEFA Euro 2020 title on their soil after dropping the final on penalties, they begin another chase for their first major trophy since 1966 as they open Euro 2024 against Serbia.
Catch England vs. Serbia LIVE on Saturday with coverage getting underway at 2pm ET/11am PT on TSN4/5, CTV, streaming on the TSN App and on TSN.ca.
After playing to a 1-1 draw after extra time in their first major final since the 1966 FIFA World Cup, England failed to score on three consecutive penalties as they were defeated at Wembley Stadium.
They head to Germany as the favourites to capture their first European Championships with a roster filled to the brim with talent.
Midfielder Jude Bellingham has been one of the world’s best players the year and will be hoping to continue that explosive form for England.
The 20-year-old scored 19 goals for Real Madrid as they captured the LaLiga title and added four more to their Champions League winning campaign.
He was named LaLiga Player of the Year for his efforts.
Bellingham will help power a team that also has Harry Kane, Phil Foden and Bukayo Saka in its forward ranks.
"I'm excited by the challenge of trying to do something that no England team have ever done,” said head coach Gareth Southgate. “We've never won a European Championship. We've never won a tournament away from home. We've never been to a final away from home. A lot of people seem to feel that this could be an easy procession for us. The fact that it's never been done before highlights to me that this is going to be extremely difficult and we've got to be perfect to achieve it."
Serbia will be playing in their first European Championship since becoming an independent nation in 2006 and while they will not be showing up with the same offensive firepower as England, Aleksandar Mitrovic can be counted on to produce goals.
The 29-year-old scored 28 times in 28 games this season for Al-Hilal in the Saudi Pro League.
He also fired home five goals during qualifying to get his nation into UEFA Euro 2024.
Captain Dusan Tadic will also be a key man. He scored 10 times and added 14 assists in 38 games for Fenerbahce in the Turkish Super Lig.
"This qualification has been long awaited,” said Serbia head coach Dragan Stojkovic. “There were many missed opportunities in the past. But this time, the goal that I set for myself as a head coach – and which was set by the Serbian FA – has been fulfilled.”
England will be looking to win their European Championship opener for the second tournament in a row, they did not concede a goal during the group stage at UEFA Euro 2020.