Tottenham's Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg paid a touching tribute to his Denmark team-mate and Manchester United counterpart, Christian Eriksen, ahead of Tuesday’s meeting with Serbia. Eriksen will win a 133rd cap and overtake Simon Kjaer as the nation’s all-time appearance leader if manager Kasper Hjulmand sets out his side as expected.
And the achievement will be made even sweeter by the unbelievable comeback tale following Eriksen’s cardiac arrest at Euro 2020.
"Tomorrow he’s setting a milestone not only in his career, but for all of Danish football,” said Hojbjerg. “I think we’re all aware of the player he is. But his personality is also quite special.
“He’s a nice guy, he’s very calm, he has a lot of respect from the dressing room. Everything he does is in his own way - I respect that a lot. He’s a great player in Denmark’s football history.”
The stakes could hardly be higher as Denmark and Serbia prepare to fight for a Euro 2024 knockout spot tonight. England are almost certainly through ahead of their meeting with Slovenia in Cologne.
Anything other than a victory would send Serbia home, while Denmark would be relying on results elsewhere if they fail to win. The Munich showdown will bring Hojbjerg face-to-face with a familiar figure - Dusan Tadic - who clearly made a lasting impression on him during their time together at Southampton.
“Dusan and I have spent a lot of time with each other,” explained the Tottenham midfielder. “I saw him as a big brother. He was my teacher, if that’s the right word.
“He took care of me, not only on the pitch but off it. I’m not surprised he’s doing well. He’s a player who loves assisting so it’s something we have to be careful about. I respect Dusan a lot.”
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Serbia were beaten 1-0 by England in their opening game and looked set for defeat against Slovenia before Luka Jovic popped up with a 95th-minute equaliser.
That has restored a sense of belief in manager Dragan Stojkovic, who is confident that his team can beat Denmark for the first time ever after three failed attempts.
He said: “It’s going to be very hard to play but we believe we can change this history. Three times we’ve lost, now it’s time to change it. We will do our best to have a good game and find a way to put the ball in the net.”