It’s rare to get a draw at a major competition which pits rivals against each other across the board but that’s the case with Group C at Euro 2024. Serbia and Slovenia matching up will get plenty of eyeballs from fans of both countries, while Denmark and England face off as semifinalists from the summer tournament in 2021. England won that encounter before suffering one of the most heartbreaking losses at Wembley in the final, but Denmark will like some revenge in this year’s competition. Here’s a breakdown of Group C, the chances for each team to make the knockout round and how we see this group playing out. All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
England (-250 to win group, -2500 to qualify for knockout round)
Most of the squad that fell to Italy in the last Euro final is back, headlined by Harry Kane, Jordan Pickford, Phil Foden, Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice. Jude Bellingham was not a part of that 2021 team but will be a crucial presence for England in the midfield and is coming off a tremendous campaign with Real Madrid. England suffered a brutal defeat in the semifinal at the 2022 World Cup in the last major international competition but have been doing better when it comes to handling the pressure of knockout games. Is this the year the Three Lions finally get the job done?
Denmark (+400 to win group, -280 to qualify for knockout round)
Denmark reminds a lot like Croatia as a team that doesn’t quite draw the headlines but has a lot of experience and recent success in international competitions. The Danes did bow out in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup after the run to the Euro semifinals in the summer of 2021, so that was a bit of a surprise. There will be a lot of emotional support for Denmark from neutral fans after Christian Eriksen’s episode on the pitch during the last Euro, and he’s back in the squad this time around. Goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel, captain Simon Kjaer, midfielder Thomas Delaney, forward Yussuf Poulsen and defender Andreas Christensen are other key players who carry loads of international experience into this competition. This group is coming in a bit under the radar, and could channel the semifinal run from the last Euro once again.
Serbia (+800 to win group, -185 to qualify for knockout round)
This is the first time Serbia is appearing in the European Championship as Serbia, having previously competed as “Yugoslavia” and “Serbia and Montenegro”. This group did play in the last two World Cups and has a potent attacking combination of Aleksander Mitrovic, Luka Jovic and Dusan Vlahovic that can give opponents fits. Dusan Tadic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic headline a capable midfield, but Serbia’s back line will need to hold up better if this group wants to go far.
Slovenia (+1200 to win group, +140 to qualify for knockout round)
There is some talent here, although age might not be doing Jan Oblak and Josip Illic many favors when it comes to form. Slovenia will need to get big contributions from others, with Benjamin Verbic, Jasmin Kurtic and Andraz Sporar the most likely to step up. The good thing for Slovenia is it comes into this competition with no expectations, which can help a team play more freely. This is the first major international tournament for Slovenia since the 2010 World Cup, where it went 1-1-1 in the group stage.