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England welcomes Serbia to a sold-out Wembley Stadium on Thursday for a 2026 World Cup qualifier that features two teams with very different goals. For England, the match is a pressure-free home game, a chance to continue their perfect run, and for players to audition for a spot on the plane to North America. For Serbia, it is a must-win battle for survival.
The Three Lions, under manager Thomas Tuchel, have already punched their ticket to the World Cup, having comfortably secured the top spot in Group K. They have been flawless in their campaign and will look to maintain that high standard in front of their home fans.
The story is much more desperate for Serbia. They arrive in London in third place, trailing one point behind Albania in the race for the crucial second-place play-off spot. With Albania facing a simpler match, Serbia knows that anything less than a positive result at Wembley could mean the end of their World Cup dream. To make the task even harder, this will be one of their first major tests under new manager Veljko Paunovic.
Stats & Facts
- In six group-stage matches played so far, England has not conceded a single goal. Meanwhile, they have scored 18 goals in the qualifiers so far.
- England humiliated Serbia in their last meeting, as the Three Lions secured a dominating 5-0 win against Serbia.
- England have secured their place in the World Cup 2026, but Serbia is in a desperate scrap. They must get a result to go further.
- This is the first qualifying camp for Veljko Paunovic, the new manager of Serbia.
- England have won all of their last four meetings with Serbia.
Team News
England have several injury cases ahead of the match against Serbia. Newcastle United’s duo Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon picked up an injury. Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi is also unavailable due to injury. However, Trevoh Chalobah is likely to replace Anthony Gordon, and there is a high chance Jude Bellingham returns to the squad, but Phil Foden still needs time to be back in the team.
As for Serbia, all-time top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic is still out of the team due to an unspecified injury. So Dusan Vlahovic is the favorite to lead the attack for Serbia along with Samardzic and Kostic.
Possible Lineup for England:
Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, Burn; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane
Possible Lineup for Serbia:
Petrovic; Mimovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic, Terzic; Gudelj, Lukic; Zivkovic, Samardzic, Kostic; Vlahovic
Prediction: England 3-1 Serbia
Despite missing some players, England’s quality and depth should be far too much for Serbia to handle. While Serbia will be playing with desperation, that can often lead to mistakes against a team that is as calm and organized as England.
Betfair Odds
England: 1.26
Draw: 5.77
Serbia: 11.31
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