Finally it comes!
England begin their Euro 2024 campaign when they face Serbia at 20:00 BST in the opening Group C match in Gelsenkirchen, which will be broadcast live on BBC One.
Serbia, ranked 33rd in the world (29 places below the Three Lions), barely qualified by finishing second behind Hungary in a group that also included Montenegro, Lithuania and Bulgaria.
Who will be looking to beat Gareth Southgate’s side?
BBC Sport profiles five members of the Serbian national team who could play a key role.
Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, the goalkeeper who moved to Manchester United
An experienced goalkeeper, Vanja Milinkovic-Savic has played club football in Serbia, Poland, Italy and Belgium.
The 27-year-old signed for Manchester United as a 17-year-old in 2014 but left the club after failing to obtain a work permit.
He is expected to feature against England after his impressive performances in the qualifiers, but some Serbia fans are hoping to see Chelsea’s Djordje Petrovic start.
Milinkovic-Savic helped Torino finish ninth in Serie A in the 2023-24 season. He is the younger brother of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who spent eight years at Lazio and plays in midfield for the Serbia national team.
Right-wing centre-back Nikola Milenkovic will be representing his country in a major tournament for the third time.
The 26-year-old played alongside former Premier League players Nemanja Matic and Branislav Ivanovic at the 2018 World Cup and also featured in Qatar four years later.
In the 2022 tournament, both teams led 3-1 against Cameroon and 2-1 against Switzerland before suffering 3-3 draws and 3-2 losses respectively.
The Eagles will be hoping Milenkovic’s experience, having spent seven years at Serie A side Fiorentina, will ensure the team doesn’t collapse on the big stage again.
It’s eight years since Dusan Tadic and Virgil van Dijk led Southampton to victory over Inter Milan in the Europa League on that memorable night at St. Mary’s Stadium.
Tadic, 35, remains Serbia’s main player and is expected to captain the team against England.
He scored several goals in the qualifiers and in March overtook Branislav Ivanovic as Serbia’s most capped player.
Tadic plays for Turkish club Fenerbahce, who have recently appointed Jose Mourinho as manager.
Lazar Samadjić may not be an automatic starter, but if he does play he’s definitely one to watch.
The 22-year-old, who can play as an attacking midfielder or winger, was born in Berlin and has represented Germany at various levels up to the Under-21 level.
He is seen as the successor to Dusan Tadic as a creative and influential force in the Serbian national team.
Samadic plays his club football for Udinese in Italy, and two of his six goals in Serie A in the 2023-24 season have come in matches against AC Milan and Inter Milan.
Recently, Samadjić has been linked with moves to both West Ham and Nottingham Forest.
Aleksandar Mitrovic, former Premier League player for Fulham and Newcastle United, will be especially motivated to make an impact against England.
The 29-year-old, who has scored 38 goals in 129 appearances in the English top flight, currently plays in the Saudi Pro League.
Mitrovic, who was Serbia’s top scorer in the qualifiers with five goals, has an impressive international record of 58 goals in 91 appearances for his country.
Known for his competitive nature, his teammates will be hoping he doesn’t exceed expectations, even if he is named in the starting XI ahead of Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic.
