Who is the referee for England’s Euro 2024 opener with Serbia?

England and Serbia do battle in the Euro 2024 group stage in Gelsenkirchen (Picture: Getty)

England kick off their Euro 2024 campaign against Group C opposition Serbia tonight and the Three Lions will be desperate for a strong start in pursuit of a first major trophy in 58 years.

Gareth Southgate has a fully fit squad at his disposal heading into the eagerly anticipated contest which will come as a great relief to the England fans given there had been concerns surrounding John Stones, Bukayo Saka and Luke Shaw in the build-up.

But there is only so much Southgate can do once his players take to the field and the England manager will be hoping the big decisions go his side’s way in Gelsenkirchen, with referee Daniele Orsato likely to play a key role this evening.

There have already been a number of contentious decisions in the opening group-stage encounters of this summer’s tournament, perhaps most notably in Spain’s 3-0 win over Croatia, where Rodri managed to escape a red card despite bringing Bruno Petkovic when the entire goal was at his mercy.

Orsato will no doubt be aware that England fans will be out for blood should a controversial call go in favour of Serbia at Arena AufSchalke.

But the 48-year-old has a wealth of experience under his belt and is well-used to the pressure and inevitable criticism that comes with officiating high-stakes matches.

Who is the England vs Serbia referee Daniele Orsato?

Orsato has been a FIFA-listed referee since 2010 and officiated his last ever club match at the end of last season when he took charge of the second leg of Borussia Dortmund’s Champions League semi-final with Paris Saint-Germain last month.

Orsato received a guard of honour following Atalanta’s clash with Fiorentina (Picture: Getty)

In the aftermath of his final Serbia A clash – Atalanta’s 3-2 defeat at home to Fiorentina – an emotional Orsato received a guard of honour from both sets of players and was pictured in floods of tears at the Gewiss Stadium.

The Italian was entrusted with reffing the Champions League final four years ago when Bayern Munich overcame PSG in Lisbon to win their clinch a sixth European crown.

However, while Orsato is widely respected in the world of refereeing, he has not always managed to escape criticism, with Luka Modric branding his showing ‘one of the worst’ and ‘a disaster’ in the take of Croatia’s World Cup semi-final loss to Argentina in Qatar.

The Italian refereed his last ever club match last season (Picture: Getty)

Midway through last season, Jose Mourinho took aim at Orsato’s display after Roma were eliminated by arch-rivals Lazio in the Coppa Italia.

‘Today we lose the match on a penalty from modern football. A penalty from VAR, which the referee doesn’t give from three meters away, but after it again on the VAR,’ Mourinho said.

‘Whoever scores first is privileged. Afterwards, whoever plays at home has an advantage, because there are no more balls. The team that scores first with Orsato wins, because then he doesn’t let anyone play anymore.’

Who else will feature in Orsato’s officiating team in Gelsenkirchen?

Carbone (left) and Giallatini (right) will assist Orsato in Gelsenkirchen (Picture: Getty)

England’s likely starting XI versus Serbia

Southgate is said to be confident of bringing home the trophy this summer and plans to put his trust in his extraordinary young talent in Germany.

It’s understood Phil Foden and Saka will be given the nod either side of Harry Kane against Serbia, with Jude Bellingham, Declan Rice and Trent Alexander-Arnold making up a new-look Three Lions midfield.

At the back, England are expected to select Kieran Tripper on the left flank, with Southgate keen to avoid risking Shaw, while Marc Guehi, Kyle Walker and Stones will also be selected in front of Jordan Pickford.

Bukayo Saka will regain his starting place for England’s opening game against Serbia (Picture: Metro)

What are England’s Group C fixtures?

Southgate’s players will be fully focussed on their opening clash with Serbia, but know that two tough fixtures await when Orsato blows the final whistle in Gelsenkirchen.

The Three Lions’ following match comes against Denmark on June 20, where Kane and Co will do battle familiar faces like Kasper Schmeichel, Christian Eriksen and Rasmus Hojlund.

England wrap up their group-stage campaign in Cologne against a Slovenia side currently ranked 57 in the world.

England vs Serbia TV channel and kick-off time

England vs Serbia kicks off at 8pm BST this evening (Sunday, June 16).

The match will be broadcast live on BBC One with a live stream available through BBC iPlayer.

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