In the upcoming encounter between the England national football team and the Serbia national football team at Wembley Stadium, the stakes could not be higher for Serbia. While England has already secured their place at the 2026 finals, Serbia’s WCQ hopes hang in the balance.
Under new manager Veljko Paunović, Serbia trails in Group K after a 1-0 home loss to the Albanian national football team, prompting the resignation of long-serving boss Dragan Stojković. With only two matches remaining, this fixture is essentially a must-win for Serbia to have realistic hopes of progression.
Meanwhile, England, guided by Thomas Tuchel, has been unstoppable: six successive wins in the cycle, 18 goals scored, and zero conceded. They haven’t lost a World Cup qualifying match since October 2009 (W29, D8) and have carried an unblemished home record under Tuchel into this game.
Recent Form and Key Stats
- England have opened the scoring before half-time in seven of their eight games under Tuchel.
- They average 18 shots per game in this campaign — a high volume and high threat.
- Serbia, on the other hand, has just one of their last seven matches saw both teams score.
- Five of Serbia’s last seven away games produced under 2.5 goals.
In head-to-head history, England have dominated the pair: two prior meetings — both in the last 18 months — and England won each, including a 5-0 rout in the reverse fixture.
Key Players to Watch
For England: Harry Kane is in prolific form, combining 23 goals in 17 games for his club this season and the same number in 20 World Cup qualifying appearances for England. He scored the opener in the reverse fixture.
For Serbia: Dušan Vlahović is likely to spearhead the attack. Notably, five of his last six international goals came after half-time—a pattern Serbia will hope he repeats to salvage their campaign.
In terms of absentees, England are missing Nick Pope, Anthony Gordon, and Marc Guéhi due to injury. Serbia is without its all-time top scorer, Aleksandar Mitrović, who has not been selected after missing his club’s last five matches.
Prediction
Given the scenario, England has the luxury of playing without pressure, while Serbia is fighting for its very survival in the group. My prediction is:
- England wins the match.
- England keeps a clean sheet (Serbia’s scoring record away is restrained).
- The goal margin could be modest given Serbia’s emphasis on defence and desperation, but England’s attacking threat makes multiple goals plausible.
- Total goals: Expect somewhere around 2-3 goals in the match (e.g., 2-0 or 3-0 to England).
Overall, the most likely outcome is England winning and not conceding.
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Enjoy the match – it promises to be one of the most pivotal qualifiers of the season.
