Serbia striker Dusan Vlahovic has warned England that his side will take inspiration from Iceland’s recent victory at Wembley as they prepare to face the Three Lions in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday. The match will be Serbia’s first appearance at a European Championship in its current format, and Vlahovic believes the way England were tamed by Iceland a week ago provides a blueprint for success.
“No one is invincible,” Vlahovic said. “We looked at the match against Iceland and there are things that can be copied from them, because they beat them at Wembley in front of 80,000 people. Everything is possible. They are the favourites, maybe the biggest in the tournament, but we believe in ourselves.”
Serbia’s public expect little from Dragan Stojkovic’s side, despite a talented squad that underperformed at the 2022 World Cup, finishing bottom of their group. Vlahovic feels the lack of pressure could work in their favour. “It’s easier for us that there is not so much euphoria,” he said. “Sometimes a bit of unreality comes out of the euphoria, like when we qualified and everyone thought we were going to the semi-finals in Qatar. This way we have a calmer environment.”
The Juventus forward, who scored 16 Serie A goals last season, may partner Aleksandar Mitrovic against England. He refused to compare himself with Harry Kane, acknowledging the England captain’s achievements. “He scored 44 goals this year and has over 300 in his career. He is, at the moment, if not the best striker in the world then one of the best. I don’t want to put pressure on myself,” Vlahovic said.
Serbia are based in Augsburg, with around 15,000 fans expected to travel to Gelsenkirchen. German authorities have deemed the match “high risk” due to the potential presence of up to 500 Serbian hooligans. Vlahovic, however, is focused on the game: “The atmosphere in the team is great and we can’t wait for the game to start.”
