13 June 2024 , 13:28
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Serbian defender Strahinja Pavlovic believes his team can take full advantage of England’s defensive weaknesses.
Pavlovic, the Red Bull Salzburg centre-back who has been attracting admiring glances from Liverpool, has warned that Iceland gave the Serbs a perfect plan of attack for their Euro opener in Gelsenkirchen on Sunday by humbling Gareth Southgate at Wembley.
The 23-year-old insists the Three Lions have defensive flaws that can be exposed if he is successful in keeping Harry Kane and Co quiet at the other end. Pavlovic said: “I would attack the English. I would go up there and try to press them. Everyone has flaws, even the English.
“We saw how organised Iceland were able to threaten and defeat them. We are analysing everything and will prepare well.
“We have a difficult group. England have one of the best teams in the European Championship so the first game will be very difficult, But we have to prepare the best. Let's go for a positive result.
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“What is England's strength? They have a lot of quality players, especially in attack. They score a lot of goals, they have outstanding players. It is their strongest weapon.
“Kane is an incredible player who had a great season, but if you want to stop such a player, you have to do it as a team. All together.
Strahinja Pavlovic thinks Serbia could cause England's defence some issues“There's also Jude Bellingham. He had a great season and is in top form. We have to be a team to do our best to stop these players.”
Speaking ahead of the game with Serbia, Kane also suggested that their opponents could cause them issues - if they weren't at their top level. He said: “They're a team that can hurt you if you're not set up correctly and defensively they're really strong.
“They make it difficult for us with their moves and they have tall players so they can be very dangerous. If we're not careful it could be a difficult game for us so we need to make sure we get that right."