Group B rivals Serbia Under-19s and Israel Under-19s get their Under-19 European Championship campaigns under way on Sunday, when they meet in the Slovakian town of Ziar nad Hronom.
The teams will kick off at the modest Mestsky Stadion, as the finals return after being cancelled for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Match preview
A busy schedule awaits all eight competing nations at this summer's Under-19 Euros, and the destiny of four Group B contestants will be decided across three fixtures in the space of just a week.
The top two teams in both groups will progress to the tournament's semi-finals, and each will automatically qualify for the 2023 Under-20 World Cup in Indonesia - along with the winner of a play-off between the sides finishing third.
Therefore, Serbia will seek to make a fast start on Sunday, before they face the young guns of England and Austria in the coming days.
The 2013 winners came through the initial qualifying round by finishing runners-up in Group 7 - having beaten North Macedonia, drawn with Albania and lost to favourites France - before making it through the subsequent elite round unbeaten.
Starting Group 6 by beating the Netherlands 2-1 at the start of this month, Aleksandar Jovic's side went on to draw with Ukraine and edge out Norway 3-2 in their most recent competitive fixture - finishing top of the section and securing a place in Slovakia.
Undoubtedly, the Orlici will hope to remain in the tournament until its conclusion on July 1, but first they must avoid a slip-up against tricky opponents this weekend.
Having progressed through the qualifying round by brushing aside minnows Cyprus and Moldova - their other fixture was a 4-1 defeat to the Netherlands - Israel impressed in the elite round by following a goalless draw with Hungary with consecutive victories over Turkey and Scotland to claim top spot in Group 1.
As the nation's best-ever result at this age bracket is a group stage exit at the 2014 edition, Ofir Haim's squad will now be aiming to surpass that achievement over the course of the next few days.
Holding France to a pair of 1-1 draws in their warm-up friendlies last week - extending an unbeaten run to six games in the process - certainly demonstrates the Israelis' potential to frustrate more heralded sides, and they could provide a stern test for their fellow Group B competitors.
- D
- L
- W
- W
- D
- W
- D
- D
- W
- W
- D
- D
Team News
While Serbia's star name is undoubtedly Milan's Marko Lazetic, fellow forward Ognjen Ajdar was the Orlici's leading scorer in qualification, and the pair could both start on Sunday in a 4-3-3 formation.
Midfielder Dorde Gordic is the youngest player in the Serbian squad, aged just 17, but is also a strong contender to start in coach Aleksandar Jovic's central trio.
Meanwhile, in a selection dominated by home-based players, Israel's top scorer in qualifying was Dor Turgeman, of second-tier Beitar Tel Aviv Bat Yam, with three goals.
This year, Ofir Haim's side have generally lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with captain Turgeman playing a lone role up front and 18-year-old Noam Muche providing a creative spark from in behind.
Serbia Under-19s possible starting lineup:
Lukic; Lazic, Lekovic, Ilic, Krsmanovic; Gordic, Stankovic, Knezevic; Miladinovic, Lazetic, Ajdar
Israel Under-19s possible starting lineup:
Gliklich; Feingold, Lemkin, Israelov, Edri; Kancepolsky, Archel; Ibrahim, Muche, Lugassy; Turgeman
We say: Serbia Under-19s 1-0 Israel Under-19s
While Israel have proved themselves no pushovers in recent months, Serbia's squad are following a strong tradition at youth level and feature enough talent in attack to open their tournament with a win.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
