Overview
Thomas Tuchel could become only the fourth manager in history to win all five of his first official games in charge of England. The "Three Lions" will visit Serbia in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Europe.
Previously, only Fabio Capello (8 matches), Ron Greenwood (6 matches) and Sven-Goran Eriksson (5 matches) have achieved this achievement.
However, England's last 4 victories under Tuchel are still considered bland. The "Three Lions" have achieved good results, but have not really surprised the football world.
The most recent victory came last weekend when England easily beat Andorra 2-0 at Villa Park thanks to an own goal by Christian Garcia and a goal by Declan Rice. However, this was an unimpressive result, especially when they played at home against the opponent ranked only 174th in FIFA.
In this match, England only had 11 shots, and only once after Rice's goal in the 67th minute. The last time they finished less (10) against a team outside the FIFA top 100 was in March 2011, in a 2-0 win over Wales (116).
Tuchel, like his predecessor Gareth Southgate, is being questioned about his practical approach despite having many stars in hand. However, the effectiveness is undeniable.
England leads Group K with 12 absolute points after four matches, scoring 8 goals and possessing the highest average ball possession rate in the European qualifiers (78%). At the same time, they also kept a clean sheet in all 4 matches.
However, the away trip to Serbia promises to be the most difficult challenge. Serbia have lost only 1/24 of their most recent World Cup qualifiers (won 16, drew 7). At home, they have only lost 1/28 matches since 2001 (against Belgium in 2012).
Serbia's biggest explosive is still Aleksandar Mitrovic. The 30-year-old striker has just left Al-Hilal (47 goals in 51 matches) to move to Al Rayyan (Qatar). With 62 goals for the national team, he is the greatest striker in Serbia's history, including 8 goals in the last 7 qualifiers.
Interestingly, Mitrovic had 24 shots (6 on target) against Jordan Pickford in the Premier League, but had not been successful at one.
On the other hand, Harry Kane is England's biggest hope. Despite failing to score against Andorra, the "Three Lions" captain has scored away against 15 different opponents in his international career - only behind Wayne Rooney (16). Kane also played in Belgrade for Tottenham in the 2019-2020 Champions League.
With Jude Bellingham injured and Phil Foden absent, Declan Rice will have more opportunities to advance. He has been involved in 7 goals in the last 12 matches for England (3 goals, 4 assists), surpassing the previous 55 matches (3 goals, 0 assists).
Noni Madueke and Elliot Anderson are also notable faces. Madueke created 3 chances in the match against Andorra, while Anderson impressed with 107/114 successful passes in the holding midfield position. Both promised to continue to be given the opportunity to shine.
Head-to-head record
This will be the first time Serbia has hosted England at home as an independent country. The last time the "Three Lions" visited here was in November 1987, when they defeated Nam Tu 4-1 in the EURO qualifiers.
Including the confrontations with Nam Tu and Serbia & Montenegro, England have won all five of their most recent encounters with Serbia, with a total score of 11-3.
Score prediction: Serbia 1-2 England
The match between Serbia and England takes place at 1:45 am on September 10 (Vietnam time).
