England face Serbia in their opening group match of the 2024 European Championship in Germany.

Gareth Southgate’s team narrowly missed out on their first major trophy since the 1966 World Cup, as they were beaten by Italy in the Euro 2020 final on penalties at Wembley three years ago. They then suffered more heartache as they lost 2-1 to France in the 2022 World Cup quarterfinals.

The Three Lions kick off their tournament in Gelsenkirchen as strong favourites.

Despite being just 20 years old, Jude Bellingham is leading the nation’s expectations, especially after his recent UEFA Champions League triumph with Real Madrid.

MORE: Who will win Euro 2024 Golden Boot? Prediction, odds, favorites and expert tips for top goal scorer award

England vs. Serbia live stream, TV channel

• TV channel: N/A
• Streaming: Optus Sport

Australia: Australia’s sole broadcaster for the 2024 European Championship is Optus Sport. 

If this match is not available to watch live in your location, or if you’re traveling abroad, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN). VPNs offer a secure and private online connection, allowing you to bypass geographical restrictions to access your favorite streaming services from any device anywhere in the world.

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What time is England vs. Serbia kickoff?

This European Championship match kicks off from Arena AufSchalke on June 16 at 9:00 p.m. local time in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

Here’s how that time translates across all of the time zones in Australia:

England vs. Serbia lineups & team news

The main chatter surrounding Southgate’s lineup for this game has been about the defence and midfield, with the attacking options picking themselves.

With that, if John Stones has shaken off his illness earlier in the week he is expected to start alongside Marc Guehi of Crystal Palace with Kyle Walker and Kieran Trippier as the full-backs. 

It appears as though Kobbie Mainoo may have to prove his worth from the bench if he wants to start as Trent Alexander-Arnold is the reported favourite to join Declan Rice as the sitting midfielder.

England projected starting lineup (4-2-3-1): Pickford (GK) — Walker, Stones, Guehi, Trippier — Alexander-Arnold, Rice — Saka, Bellingham, Foden — Kane.

Serbia’s side has some familiar names to those who follow European football. Dusan Tadic, formerly of Ajax and Southampton, is expected to start behind current Al Hilal forward Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Joining Mitrovic in attack should be Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus, who scored 16 times in 33 Serie A appearances in 2023/24.

Serbia projected starting lineup (3-4-1-2): V Milinkovic-Savic (GK) — Milenkovic, Veljkovic, Pavlovic — Zivkovic, S Milinkovic-Savic, Lukic, Kostic — Tadic — Mitrovic, Vlahovic

England vs. Serbia prediction

• Score prediction: England 3-0 Serbia

England have started all three of their major international tournaments under Southgate with wins, their largest being a 6-2 victory over Iran at the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

While Serbia were tipped as the dark horses for that tournament two years ago, England’s squad depth should prove too strong for Dragan Stojkovic’s side.