In what is already a top-of-the-table clash in Group K of UEFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying, England and Latvia lock horns at Wembley Stadium on Monday evening.
The Three Lions’ Thomas Tuchel era commenced with an expected win over Albania on Friday by two goals to nil, while their visitors eked out a 1-0 success versus Andorra away from home.
Match preview
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On an evening of firsts for managers and players alike, Gareth Southgate‘s successor Tuchel followed a familiar trend as England head coach, becoming the 11th consecutive permanent Three Lions manager to win their opening game in charge of the 1966 World Cup winners.
While Tuchel may have been in the pre-game spotlight, Arsenal phenom Myles Lewis-Skelly was the name on everyone’s lips when the 18-year-old became the youngest-ever England player to score on their debut, before Harry Kane‘s obligatory goal – and 70th for his country – sealed the deal.
However, the refreshingly honest Tuchel was open about his side’s shortcomings on Friday evening, as Albania gave the Three Lions a couple of scares and – barring Kane’s tidy finish – were relatively untroubled in a forgettable second 45 minutes.
Nevertheless, the only facts that matter are that Tuchel is one for one in England matches and his side sit at the summit of the Group K rankings, a position they will not be expected to relinquish once between now and the end of the Qualifying cycle in November.
Continuing their astonishing sequence in World Cup qualifiers, England have now gone unbeaten in 32 straight games at this stage since a 1-0 loss to Ukraine in 2009, and not since October 2000 – against Tuchel’s native Germany – have the Three Lions been defeated at home in World Cup Qualifying.
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As the Three Lions seek a stress-free passage to their customary World Cup appearance, Latvia have aspirations of making it to the Finals for the first time as an independent nation, having tried and failed to qualify on eight previous occasions following the breakup of the Soviet Union.
The 11 Wolves’ quest for a ticket to North America has started on the right foot, though, as Paolo Nicolato‘s men edged a tight contest with fellow minnows Andorra on Friday, where substitute Dario Sits headed in a Roberts Savalnieks corner on the stroke of the hour mark.
As a result, second-placed Latvia are only below their upcoming hosts by virtue of an inferior goal difference, although with Serbia yet to begin their preliminary campaign and Albania sure to respond to their Wembley setback, Nicolato’s men should not dare to dream just yet.
Leaving Andorra with a 1-0 victory ended a four-match winless sequence for the world’s 140th-ranked side, who finished bottom of League C Group 4 in the UEFA Nations League and could be relegated to the lowest tier if they lose a two-legged playoff to Gibraltar in 12 months’ time.
However, the 11 Wolves have incredibly managed to avoid defeat in each of their last five World Cup qualifiers away from home, holding Turkey and Norway to stalemates in 2021 and winning their last two versus Gibraltar and Andorra.
England and Latvia have never met in a senior men’s international before, but the women’s teams crossed paths in a World Cup qualifier in 2021, where the Lionesses ripped the Latvians to shreds in a 20-0 annihilation – unsurprisingly England’s biggest-ever win in a senior fixture.
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As the likes of Lewis-Skelly and Kane revelled in praise on Friday evening, a thought was spared for the unfortunate Anthony Gordon, who replaced Marcus Rashford as a second-half substitute against Albania but hurt himself soon after.
Tuchel admitted in his post-game press conference that the Newcastle United winger’s issue was “a bit worrying”, and while an official update on his hip injury is yet to arrive, it would be a shock to see him involved on Monday.
However, Tuchel should otherwise be working with an identical squad from Friday’s triumph and is sure to shuffle the pack as he assesses all of his options, good news for the likes of Reece James, Jordan Henderson, Levi Colwill and Jarrod Bowen.
Aaron Ramsdale, Jarell Quansah and Morgan Gibbs-White were all omitted from Tuchel’s matchday squad on Friday, but a spot should open up for the latter on Monday thanks to Gordon’s concern.
In contrast, Latvia appeared to come out of their win over Andorra with no new fitness concerns; midfielder Deniss Melniks was taken off at half time for Sits, but that was ostensibly a tactical tweak from Nicolato as he adopted a more attacking approach for the second 45.
The visiting manager should not make that offensive-minded switch from the off at Wembley, but Sits – who plays his club football with Helmond Sport in the Netherlands’ second tier – has made his case to replace either Dmitrijs Zelenkovs or Vladislavs Gutkovskis in attack.
England possible starting lineup:
Pickford; James, Guehi, Colwill, Livramento; Rice, Henderson; Bowen, Bellingham, Rogers; Kane
Latvia possible starting lineup:
Zviedris; Jurkovskis, Balodis, Cernomordijs; Savalnieks, Melniks, Savaljevs, Ciganiks; Zelenkovs, Ikaunieks; Gutkovskis
We say: England 4-0 Latvia
It would not be overly harsh to suggest that England’s performance on Friday left quite a bit to be desired, but Tuchel’s men should have no trouble whatsoever swatting aside Latvia.
Even with a defence-heavy formation, the 11 Wolves should be powerless to quell a refreshed Three Lions attack as Tuchel continues his perfect start to life in the dugout.
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