Serbia’s pursuit of 2026 FIFA World Cup qualification is on the line as they travel to Wembley Stadium to face England on Thursday.
Unlike their rivals, the Three Lions have already locked down a place at next summer’s finals, having won all six matches in qualifying Group K.
A 5-0 rout of Serbia in Belgrade was a standout victory and explains England’s status as odds-on pre-match favourites. Punters at a non gamstop casino uk site will be backing them to complete the double.
Yet to concede a goal in the ongoing qualifying campaign, Thomas Tuchel’s charges are on the verge of posting a 100 percent record.
Adding to their confidence heading into this contest, Serbia will land in London under immense pressure to avoid defeat, with their hopes of reaching a third consecutive World Cup hanging by a thread.
Flawless Lions
In addition to keeping a clean sheet in all six outings in the current qualifying cycle, England have scored a jaw-dropping 18 goals, though only seven came on home soil.
However, it’s worth noting that each of England’s three home victories in Group K produced multi-goal margins, highlighting the potential for another emphatic performance.
Maintaining their faultless home record would see the Three Lions uphold their formidable record of not losing a World Cup qualifier since October 2009 (W29, D8).
Wembley has been a fortress since Tuchel’s arrival earlier in 2025, with England winning all four internationals at this iconic stadium, increasing the likelihood of another dominant display.
All eyes will be on Real Madrid superstar Jude Bellingham, who must fend off Aston Villa talisman Morgan Rogers in the race for the coveted number ten role, as reported by ESPN.
Harry Kane will lead the line, looking to translate his outstanding club form to the international level, having netted 23 goals in only 17 games for Bayern Munich this season.
Wounded Eagles
Kane was on the scoresheet in Belgrade, contributing to Serbia’s heaviest defeat in World Cup qualifying, so the visitors know where the threat comes from.
Without a clean sheet in their last three fixtures, Serbia cannot realistically hope to shut out England in this ‘make or break’ clash, shifting the pressure to their misfiring frontline.
Despite beating continental minnows Andorra 3-1 on Veljko Paunovic’s touchline debut, the Eagles have massively struggled in front of goal during the ongoing qualifying cycle.
Paunovic’s men have only netted one goal in four qualifiers against opponents other than Andorra, courtesy of Dusan Vlahovic’s strike in a narrow 1-0 win at Latvia in September.
However, the Serbs have avoided defeat in all three away games in Group K (W2, D1), extending their decent-looking unbeaten run in road World Cup qualifiers to seven (W5, D2).
Given Serbia’s notorious scoring woes, it’s hardly surprising that five of their last seven internationals on the road have produced under 2.5 goals, highlighting the possibility of a low-scoring contest.
Team news
The usual withdrawals have already depleted Tuchel’s squad, with England losing Newcastle United duo Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon to injuries.
However, Bayer Leverkusen’s Jarell Quansah, Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Manchester City’s Nico O’Reilly could make their senior debuts for the Three Lions.
After being hailed as ‘one of the best midfielders in the Premier League’ by Tuchel during the pre-match conference (via the Independent), Nottingham Forest star Elliot Anderson looks set to start on Thursday.
As for Serbia, they will be without all-time top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has been left out of the squad due to an unspecified injury.
Potential starting line-ups
England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, Burn; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.
Serbia (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Mimovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic, Terzic; Gudelj, Lukic; Zivkovic, Samardzic, Kostic; Vlahovic.
