Slovenia and Serbia get match day two in Group C up and running, as the two nations go head to head with plenty at stake.
On match day one, Slovenia shocked Denmark with a late equaliser, drawing 1-1 and giving themselves a lot to play for with two games to go in the group.
Serbia, on the other hand, produced an inspiring performance against England, but it was not enough as they lost by a singular goal.
A win for Slovenia would all but confirm a place in a round of sixteen, whilst Serbia need a win in the penultimate group game or could face elimination depending on the result in the other Group C clash.
The pair have met on four previous occasions, with both sides winning once and the remaining two fixtures ending in draws.
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Team news
Slovenia
Boss Matjaž Kek could name an unchanged side in Munich.
Despite this, Panathinaikos attacker Benjamin Verbič is back in contention to start after fully recovering from injury, whilst 35-year-old Jasmin Kurtić will also be pushing to make a return to the starting lineup on Thursday.
Serbia
The Eagles will be without left wing back Filip Kostić, who will miss the remainder of the tournament after coming off in the 43rd minute with a suspected thigh injury during the loss to England on Sunday.
Filip Mladenović, who came on for Kostić, is set to deputise once again in his place.
Saša Lukić and Nemanja Gudelj could start again in midfield, although should manager Dragan Stojković opt to move Sergej Milinković-Savić into a deeper role, that could open up a return for former Southampton and Ajax man Dušan Tadić, who was omitted from the lineup on Sunday in a shock move.
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Likely lineups
Slovenia: Oblak; Karničnik, Drkušić, Bijol, Janža; Stojanović, Elšnik, Gnezda Čerin, Mlakar; Šporar, Šeško.
Serbia: Rajković; Veljković, Milenković, Pavlović; Živković, Sergej Milinković-Savić, Gudelj, Mladenović; Tadić; Mitrović, Vlahović.
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Key players
Slovenia - Andraž Šporar
In Zmajčeki’s 1-1 draw with Denmark on Sunday, Šporar was Slovenia’s biggest threat up front, despite many tipping his strike partner, Benjamin Šesko, to provide the goals.
The Panathinaikos forward, who played 89 minutes in his side’s group opener, had four shots on goal throughout his time on the pitch, missing one ‘big chance.’
Despite Šesko coming agonisingly close to scoring his first-ever goal at a major tournament, Šporar, who is also chasing the same feat, was arguably their biggest threat.
If Matjaž Kek‘s side are to boost their chances of making the knockout stage, a win against Serbia is needed, with the minnows facing England in the final group game.
Šporar could be the man to fire them to victory.
Serbia - Dušan Vlahović
Dušan Vlahović is once again expected to lead the line for Serbia, who are in desperate need of a win to keep their hopes of reaching the next stage alive.
The Juventus striker registered sixteen goals in 33 Serie A appearances for Juventus during the 2023/24 season, and looked promising during the loss to England on Sunday night.
He’ll be hoping to add to his thirteen goals on the international stage, should he start alongside Aleksandar Mitrović or Dušan Tadić.
With elite movement, the powerful attacker will be hoping to cause the Slovenia defence plenty of problems and spur his side onto victory.
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Match details
Where will the game take place?
This group stage fixture will take place at the Munich Football Arena, home to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich. The venue holds 75,024 seats and is the second largest ground in the country.
What time is kick off?
Proceedings are set to get underway at 14:00 BST, meaning this tie will be the opening fixture of Thursday's three matches.
How can I watch the game?
In the United Kingdom, viewers will be able to watch live on ITV, with coverage getting underway from 13:00 BST.
