Slovenia vs Serbia lineups: Predicted XIs, confirmed team news, injury latest for Euro 2024 game today
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Serbia face Slovenia at Euro 2024 today, with Filip Kostic out but Dusan Tadic set to play despite criticising his manager this week.
Juventus winger Kostic was forced off in the first half of his country’s opening Group C defeat by England in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday night and, as Serbia boss Dragan Stojkovic feared, the issue is a significant one, and he will now fly home.
“He will go do all the medical check-ups,” Stojkovic said after the match at the weekend. “He has felt pain in his external part of the knee.
"I believe that ligaments are in question but I cannot say something with certainty as we’re not sure. He has ice on his knees.”
With Kostic ruled out, Filip Mladenovic is the obvious choice to come in at left wing-back for Serbia against Slovenia, as he did off the bench against England.
Captain Tadic was surprisingly named among the substitutes for the opening match, coming on for the final 30 minutes, but he will hope to make the starting lineup this time having seemingly been forgiven for publicly criticising the decision not to insert him from the off against England.
That would likely see Fulham’s Sasa Lukic dropped to the bench and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic moved into a deeper role.
Slovenia did not appear to pick up any injury issues in their draw with Denmark on Sunday. That opening point means victory over Serbia would likely be enough to secure a place in the last-16, before they face England in their final group-stage match in Cologne on Tuesday night.
Benjamin Sesko will again lead the line as he looks for his first goal of the Euros, having smacked an effort off the woodwork against Denmark.
Benjamin Verbic is an option to come into the side if Matjaz Kek opts to shuffle his pack. The winger was battling a hamstring injury ahead of the tournament, but recovered to make the bench against Denmark and featured for 25 minutes off the bench.
Predicted Slovenia XI: Oblak; Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza; Stojanovic, Gorenc Stankovic, Cerin, Mlakar; Sporar, Sesko
Predicted Serbia XI: Rajkovic; Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Gudelj, Mladenovic; Tadic; Mitrovic, Vlahovic
Time and date: 2pm BST on Thursday June 20, 2024
Venue: Allianz Arena, Munich
TV channel: ITV1
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