England Clash with Serbia in Crucial 2026 World Cup Qualifier: Match Preview, Bold Predictions and Expected Lineups
England welcome Serbia to Wembley for a World Cup qualifier on Thursday night, with the fixture carrying far greater importance for the away team than their hosts.
Thomas Tuchel's squad made history by becoming the first European side to secure their place in next summer's competition last month, maintaining a flawless record of six victories while netting 18 goals and keeping a clean sheet throughout. Serbia find themselves in third position in Group K, trailing Albania by a single point, with the Albanians currently occupying the crucial second-place playoff position.
Serbia will wrap up their qualifying journey against Latvia this weekend, while Albania face winless Andorra tonight before hosting England in their campaign finale.
Thursday's encounter at Wembley marks Veljko Paunović's debut as manager after Dragan Stojković stepped down following last month's surprising home loss to Albania. Anything short of a comfortable England victory would be considered a major upset.
What Time Does England vs. Serbia Kick-Off?
England vs. Serbia Head-to-Head Record (All Games)
Current Form (All Competitions)
England | Serbia |
|---|---|
Latvia 0–5 England - 14/10/25 | Andorra 1–3 Serbia - 14/10/25 |
England 3–0 Wales - 09/10/25 | Serbia 0–1 Albania - 11/10/25 |
Serbia 0–5 England - 09/09/25 | Serbia 0–5 England - 09/09/25 |
England 2–0 Andorra - 06/09/25 | Latvia 0–1 Serbia - 06/09/25 |
England 1–3 Senegal - 10/06/25 | Serbia 3–0 Andorra - 10/06/25 |
How to Watch England vs. Serbia on TV and Live Stream
Country | TV Channel/Live Stream |
|---|---|
United States | fuboTV, ViX, FOX One, Fox Soccer Plus |
United Kingdom | ITV 1, ITVX, STV Scotland, UTV, STV Player |
Canada | DAZN Canada, fuboTV Canada |
England Team News
Crystal Palace defender Marc Guéhi will miss Serbia's visit due to a foot problem that kept him out of Sunday's scoreless stalemate with Brighton. The influential centre-back was anticipated to pull out of the squad—a decision also made by Newcastle United duo Anthony Gordon and Nick Pope—though Tuchel remains hopeful that Guéhi might feature against Albania this weekend.
Concerns regarding Elliot Anderson's fitness were dismissed by Tuchel. The German tactician stated that Nottingham Forest's midfield talent "experiences no discomfort" and remains "an essential player" for England.
Regarding team selection, Tuchel confirmed to journalists that there will be no "tactical experiments" during this international window despite England's qualification being secured. This approach indicates the former Chelsea and Bayern Munich boss will maintain his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation, though some personnel changes are possible.
Jude Bellingham is expected to return to the attacking midfield role while Manchester City's impressive Nico O'Reilly might be considered as an answer to England's ongoing left-back dilemma.
England Predicted Lineup vs. Serbia
England predicted lineup vs. Serbia (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, O'Reilly; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.
Serbia Team News
Serbia possessed a distinct—albeit imperfect—playing style under Stojković. They consistently employed a three-man defense with dual strikers, leveraging their midfielders' superior technical abilities while sacrificing team cohesion.
Paunović departed from a four-man backline just once during his Real Oviedo tenure this season—implementing a five-man defensive setup against Real Madrid. The strategy proved unsuccessful.
The new coach's transition has been complicated by several important absences. Captain Aleksandar Mitrović failed to report for international duty, while both Milinković-Savić siblings, Sergej and Vanja, are unavailable.
Serbia Predicted Lineup vs. England
Serbia Predicted Lineup vs. England (3-5-2): Petrović; Veljković, Milenković, Pavlović; Zivković, Lukić, Gudelj, Samardzić, Kostić; Jović, Vlahović.
England vs. Serbia Score Prediction
Paunović stated his primary objective is to foster "confidence that we can achieve a positive outcome against England that keeps our playoff hopes alive against Latvia" among his players. Whether Serbia's manager truly believes this remains questionable. Few observers share that optimism.
Despite criticism regarding the excitement and fluidity of Tuchel's England, they have demonstrated efficiency throughout this qualifying phase. The greatest challenge the Three Lions may encounter on Thursday could be energizing the Wembley faithful.