The World Cup 2026 qualifiers proceed with one of the crucial intriguing clashes of the spherical as Serbia welcomes England to Belgrade. Thomas Tuchel’s unbeaten begin as supervisor of the Three Lions faces its hardest examination but, whereas Dragan Stojkovic’s aspect seems to show themselves as real contenders for automated qualification. And hovering over the competition is one central storyline: Dusan Vlahovic vs. Harry Kane. May this heavyweight striker battle outline an evening underneath the lights on the Rajko Mitic Stadium?
England sit high of Group Ok with a flawless report: 4 wins from 4. Tuchel’s males have seen off Albania (twice), Latvia, and Andorra with out conceding a single objective. But, as environment friendly because the outcomes look on paper, performances have lacked spark.
The latest outing noticed a 2-0 win over Andorra at Villa Park. Objectives got here by way of a Christian García personal objective and a second-half strike from Declan Rice. Victory in Belgrade, nevertheless, would imply Tuchel joins an elite membership. Solely Fabio Capello, Ron Greenwood, and Sven-Göran Eriksson started their England careers with 5 consecutive aggressive wins.
On the opposite aspect, Serbia has collected seven factors from three matches, preserving them second within the group. After a goalless draw with Albania, they discovered rhythm with a 3-0 dismantling of Andorra earlier than narrowly beating Latvia 1-0 away.
Serbia’s best energy stays its strike pressure. With Aleksandar Mitrovic—the nation’s all-time main scorer—returning to the XI, Stojkovic is anticipated to unleash him alongside Dusan Vlahovic in a entrance line designed to hassle England’s protection.
Dusan Vlahovic vs Harry Kane
And now, the burning query: who comes out on high on this battle of quantity nines? Kane, England’s captain and all-time main scorer, is about to win his 109th cap, transferring him past the legendary Sir Bobby Moore. Vlahovic, in the meantime, has turn out to be Serbia’s spearhead, along with his early strike sealing victory in opposition to Latvia final week. Each males thrive on service, and each defences might want to stay alert to keep away from punishment.
Projected lineups revealed
Serbia predicted XI (3-5-2): Petrovic; Milenkovic, Erakovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Gudelj, Lukic, Samardzic, Kostic; Mitrovic, Vlahovic.
For Serbia, Nemanja Gudelj and Nemanja Maksimovic are tipped to return in midfield, whereas Nikola Milenkovic is anticipated to anchor the defence.
England predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Guehi, Burn, Lewis-Skelly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Gibbs-White, Gordon; Kane.
Tuchel could introduce contemporary faces after criticizing his attackers in opposition to Andorra. Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze are underneath menace from Anthony Gordon and Morgan Gibbs-White. In midfield, Elliot Anderson impressed on debut and will preserve his place alongside Rice.
