Euro 2024 Group C Predictions: Will Denmark pip England to top spot?

Group C of Euro 2024 provides an interesting challenge for England. Although a group containing Serbia, Denmark and Slovenia lacks another European giant, Gareth Southgate and his team will be well aware of the danger each opponent can pose, especially after the Three Lions lost at home to a stubborn Iceland side in their final warm-up match. 

Below you can find a complete preview of each team, as well as my Euro 2024 Group C predictions and betting tips. 

England

FIFA World Ranking: 4th

To win the group: 4/11

Let’s start with, rightly or wrongly, the tournament favourites. England certainly have a lot of attacking talent at their disposal, with Phil Foden, Jude Bellingham and Harry Kane three of the finest footballers on the planet. However, after Harry Maguire missed out on the final squad due to injury, there are now serious concerns about their defensive solidity. 

Crystal Palace’s Marc Guehi is likely to be thrusted into the starting XI alongside John Stones, but there are fitness issues all over this 26-man squad. Luke Shaw will miss the opening game at a minimum, while Bukayo Saka and Lewis Dunk have not had the minutes they would have hoped for. 

It feels as though England may be slow starters in this tournament, as Southgate looks to work out his best XI. However, winning the group to provide them with an easier run to the semi-final is vital, and the Three Lions won’t have much leeway with Denmark in excellent form. 

Key player: Jude Bellingham

England have a lot of stars, but Bellingham arguably supersedes all of them. The Real Madrid midfielder has won a treble in his first season at the Santiago Bernabeu, and with 23 goals in all competitions, he also found his goalscoring touch from the number 10 position. Expect him to be deployed there again by Southgate, as he takes on a huge amount of responsibility.

Prediction: There’s a lot of hype around this England team going forward, understandably. However, I can’t get around the lack of defensive solidity, and I think they may fail to win this group after a slow start. If they finish second in the group, they will probably face Germany in the round of 16. That’s a serious worry. Even if they win the group, I don’t think they’ll go past the semi-finals. 

Denmark

FIFA World Ranking: 21st

To win the group: 4/1

Having lost to England at the semi-final stage in extra-time at the last European Championships, Denmark flopped at the World Cup, finishing bottom of their group. However, Kasper Hjulmand got his side back together, and they embarked on a relatively straightforward qualification campaign, winning seven of their 10 matches to take top spot.

In warm-up wins over Sweden and Norway, trusted duo Christian Eriksen and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg have both featured in midfield and that experience will be key for this group. Manchester United’s Rasmus Hojlund will hope to have a breakthrough tournament, while defensively, Simon Kjaer, Andreas Christensen and Joachim Andersen make up a talented back three. 

A solid defensive structure is likely to win Denmark games at this tournament, while the introduction of Viktor Kristiansen at left wing-back appears to have brought more attacking balance to the team. This is a solid squad, and with Kasper Scmeichel’s experience in goal, I think they could go deep.

Key player: Christian Eriksen

I have to pick out Eriksen, as this European Championships marks the most remarkable comeback. In Copenhagen in 2021, he collapsed on the pitch, but now he is ready to make a big impact for this talented Danish squad. If he can produce in midfield, they will be able to go far. 

Prediction: If Denmark can comfortably beat Serbia and Slovenia, a draw with England may see them top the group. That will give them a clear pathway to the semi-finals, where they may come up short. Quarter-finals should be the minimum aim for this group. 

Serbia 

FIFA World Ranking: 33rd

To win the group: 8/1

Remarkably, this is Serbia’s first ever appearance as an independent nation at a European Championships. They reached the quarter-finals back then, as part of Yugoslavia, and have failed to live up to expectations at the last four World Cups.

Despite a fair amount of ‘dark horse’ shouts every time they qualify, they’ve suffered group stage exits in 2010, 2018 and most recently, 2022. This time, however, the expectation is on the floor. They finished second behind Hungary in one of the worst qualification groups we’ve ever seen, and Dragan Stojkovic is hardly the most popular manager of all time. 

However, his attacking style seemed to pay off in the warm-up matches, as Serbia impressively beat Sweden 3-0. With Dusan Tadic, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Juventus star Dušan Vlahović, they certainly boast a lot of talent, and they will be exciting to watch - at the very least. 

Key player: Dusan Tadic

I could have named Sergej Milinković-Savić here, but instead I’m going for the obvious choice. Captain Tadic is the team's creative force, and he will be trusted to create chances for the front two, who have plenty of goalscoring ability. If he can be a positive link between attack and defence, they have a chance. A lot rests on his shoulders. 

Prediction: Third place in the group. I think they will give England and Denmark a scare, before beating Slovenia to give themselves a chance of qualification. They won’t go past the last 16, but getting out the group would be seen as a success.

Slovenia

FIFA World Ranking: 57th

To win the group: 16/1

Having taken Slovenia to the 2010 World Cup, Matjaz Kek is remarkably back in charge of his nation, and doing a damn good job. This will be Slovenia’s second appearance at a European Championship, having last qualified in 2000, and their first major tournament appearance since their trip to South Africa 14 years ago. 

They were also paired with England in that group, when a solitary Jermain Defoe goal was enough to take Fabio Capello’s miserable Three Lions into the knockout stage. Unsurprisingly, a lot has changed for Slovenia since then, and they amassed the same number of points as Denmark in their qualification campaign. 

They are a functional team, with a couple of star names in the form of Benjamin Sesko up front, and Jan Oblak in goal. A solid 4-4-2 system has served them well of late, and they got an impressive 2-0 win over Portugal in March. A team that could spring a surprise in Group C.

Key player: Jan Oblak

A simple one in truth. Sesko will have to find the net a couple of times if Slovenia have any hope of progression, but Oblak was the best goalkeeper in the world for a few years, and still has what it takes to produce on the big stage. If he produces his best against the likes of Denmark and England, Slovenia could be a thorn in the side of those teams looking to get out of this group.

Prediction: Group stage exit. I’d love them to do something spectacular, and that crunch game against Serbia is certainly one not to miss, but unfortunately their lack of individual quality could cost them against superior nations. Them being here is a massive success already. 

Check out our other Euro 2024 Betting Tips here.