Serbia v England: Side with Stones in 13/1 Bet Builder | OneFootball

England Superboost

The two main men who can propel England to glory this summer are captain Harry Kane and wonderkid Jude Bellingham. They will be at the forefront for the Three Lions.

We know this, and so do the opposition, who will be looking to stop them both by any means necessary.

has been fouled 24 times in his last 20 England starts, and multiple times eight of his last 13 as he drops deep to pick up the ball and make things happen. His numbers heightened during the last major tournament too, winning nine fouls in just five games in Qatar.

Bellingham, meanwhile, averages 2.09 fouls won per 90 for England, and has been fouled 4+ times in each of his last three caps, and 20 times in just seven recent games.

Together, they have been fouled a combined 55 times in their last 15 England games!

I'll be honest, I've never really got too involved in England games from a betting perspective.

Perhaps it's down to being a fan, although there's also the view that England - and their players - are nearly always 'too short' due to the power of the patriotic punt.

They are just 40/85 to win here and anyone who saw them flop miserably against Iceland last week would surely baulk at that price.

Yes, it was a friendly with nothing at stake and, yes, Gareth Southgate's side did qualify with ease.

But since booking their spot in Germany, they've won just one of four friendlies, the most important of which saw a defeat to Brazil and a last-gasp draw with Belgium.

It's been unconvincing so far in 2024 and I'm not keen to side with them here.

They are going to be without two of their first-choice back four here with Kieran Trippier set to fill in at left-back and Marc Guehi replacing the injured Harry Maguire.

Leg 1: John Stones 1+ shot

It's the absence of Maguire where I see some betting potential in this one.

He's been England's main target on set pieces for many years now - he had 12 shots in the eight qualifiers - and hasn't missed too many games in the past.

That void needs to be filled by someone and John Stones looks the prime candidate, provided he is fit having limped off against Iceland.

Even with Maguire at his side, Stones has enjoyed some decent shots numbers at previous tournaments.

He managed six in seven games at the 2018 World Cup, five in seven at the last Euros and four in five at the 2022 World Cup.

Overall, he's had a shot in 10 of the 19 matches and he should be targeted more here given Maguire's absence.

Certainly he makes more appeal than Marc Guehi, who's only had a shot in one of his 11 caps - and that came on debut.

Stones 1+ shot gets the nod.

It's joined in our Bet Builder by both teams to score.

That rejigged England defence is a concern for me, especially given they will be up against a Serbia side with plenty of attacking threat.

Aleksandar Mitrovic is set to the lead the line, fresh from a goal-laden season in Saudi Arabia where he fired Al-Hilal to the Double.

Dusan Tadic and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic are decent supply lines, while there's also Serie A stars Luka Jovic and Dusan Vlahovic available too.

Like England, they look top heavy with concerns over their defence - they conceded nine times in eight games in qualifying, the worst record of the automatic qualifiers.

Here, the defence will be up against Harry Kane, Bukayo Saka, Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden, a quartet which looks one of the best attacks in the tournament.

The conclusion is both teams to score looks a tad on the large side at odds-against.

Leg 3: Strahinja Pavlovic to be shown a card

Finally, Strahinja Pavlovic for a card at 10/34.33 very much looks worth considering.

The centre-back faces a tough night against Kane and co and he's been carded in 13 of his 35 international appearances. He arrives here off the back of an Austrian Bundesliga season which saw him carded in 10 of 26 games for Salzburg.

Daniele Orsato is a referee with a strong reputation for producing cards so that price looks big.

In international football, the Italian has shown four cards in 13 of his 15 competitive games since the last Euros and 5+ in 10 of them.

More Serbia v England: Read Paul Higham's in-depth preview!