England will host Albania at Wembley in the 2026 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers on Friday, hoping to kick-start their campaign on a high.
Thomas Tuchel will look to kick-start his reign with a comfortable home victory, and England certainly have the quality to come out on top vs Albania at Wembley on Friday. On paper, the Three Lions will be the favourites, and it will be interesting to see if they can get the job done here.
England have beaten Albania in their last two meetings, and the home fans will be expecting a similar result here. Meanwhile, Albania are coming into this game after a disappointing UEFA Nations League campaign with just seven points from six matches.
The Red and Blacks have a disappointing record against England as well, and it will be interesting to see if they can turn things around. The away side will be desperate for a response, and they will look to pull off an upset at Wembley. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
Team News & Tactics
England
Thomas Tuchel has named his squad without Trent Alexander-Arnold, Jarrad Branthwaite, Conor Gallagher, and Ollie Watkins. Meanwhile, Cole Palmer has pulled out of the group due to his recent fitness issues. Other than that, they have a fully fit squad to choose from.
England are likely to shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation vs Albania, with Jordan Pickford in goal. In the back three, Kyle Walker will start alongside Marc Guehi and Levi Colwill. Reece James and Myles Lews-Skelly will start in the wing-back roles. They will look to protect the centre-backs and hit Albania on the break.
As for the midfield unit, Declan Rice and Jordan Henderson will add defensive cover and physicality to the side from the middle of the park. Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford will start in the attacking midfield roles. They will add goals and creativity to the side. Finally, Harry Kane will lead the line for England vs Albania on Friday.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Pickford; Walker, Guehi, Colwill; James, Rice, Henderson, Lewis-Skelly; Bellingham, Rashford; Kane
Albania
The visitors have a fully fit squad to choose from heading into the latest international break. Albania will shape up in a 4-3-3 formation vs England, with Thomas Strakosha in goal.
Ivan Balliu and Naser Aliji will start as the full-backs. They will look to keep things tight at the back. Arlind Ajeti and vice-captain Ardian Ismajli will pair up at the heart of the Albanian defence.
As for the midfield unit, Kristjan Asllani, Qazim Laci, and Ylber Ramadani will add defensive cover and control to the side. Nedim Bajrami and Ernest Muci will start on the flanks. They will add pace, flair and goals to the side. FInally, Rey Manaj will lead the line for Albania vs England on Friday.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Strakosha; Balliu, Ismajli, Ajeti, Aliji; Asllani, Ramadani, Laci; Bajrami, Manaj, Muci
Key Stats
- England have scored 12 goals in the last four games vs Albania.
- England have won their last four matches against Albania.
- England have kept three clean sheets in the last four meetings with Albania.
- Albania are coming into this game on the back of two wins from six matches.
- England have picked up five wins from the last six matches.
Player to Watch
Harry Kane
The England captain is in sensational form with Bayern Munich, and he will look to translate that onto the international level as well. He will look to create goalscoring opportunities for his teammates with his passing, vision and technical ability. Kane will also look to find the back of the net and add to his goal tally for the season.
The veteran striker is our key player to watch out for, and he could punish a vulnerable Albanian defence here. The 31-year-old striker has 36 goals and eight assists to his name in all competitions. The visitors will find it difficult to keep him quiet here.
Prediction
England 3-0 Albania
England are the favourites to grind out a win, and they have a better set of players. They should be able to pick up a comfortable victory at home. Albania are in disappointing form right now, and England are likely to pile further major on them. The gulf in class between the two teams is quite significant, and the visitors are likely to crash to a defeat here.
Albania have been completely outplayed in their last few meetings against England, and they have struggled to score in most games against the Three Lions. This is likely to be another one-sided affair. The Hard Tackle predicts a 3-0 win for Thomas Tuchel and his charges.
