England Vs Serbia: The Three Lions Ready To Party Goal Again At Wembley

Harry Kane, striker of The Three Lions (photo: x @UEFAEURO)

Jakarta The England national team will close their final home match in the 2026 World Cup qualifying round in the European zone by hosting Serbia at Wembley Stadium, Thursday 13 November. This match is a perfect warm-up event for the Thomas Tuchel squad who have made sure tickets to the United States are faster.

Although the top position of Group K is safe in the hands of England, this duel remains important for Serbia, who are still fighting for second place in order to qualify through the playoffs under the new coach, Veljko Paunovic.

Thomas Tuchel successfully brought England to appear almost flawless in Group K. Six matches were swept away with wins, scoring 18 goals, and not conceding a single one. Qualification has been held since a 5-0 win over Latvia last month.

With a hot performance, The Three Lions are now eyeing a seventh straight win and a fifth clean sheet in a row in all competitions. Their last two games ended even with a five-goal party or more.

Having been criticized for monotonous play at the beginning of his coaching period, Tuchel is now starting to find a match. The combination of dynamic midfield and sharp front row made England look much more alive.

Meanwhile, Serbia came to Wembley in an ideal situation. After swallowing two consecutive defeats and conceding seven goals in the last three games, coach Dragan Stojkovic decided to step down. The baton is now held by Veljko Paunovic, former Reading and Real Oviedo coach.

Paunovic faces a tough debut: away to Wembley against the most fertile team in the group. Serbia is now one point behind Albania in second place. If you lose to England while Albania wins over Andorra, then Serbia's chances of qualifying will automatically be dashed.

Aleksandar Mitrovic's absence from injury also dealt a crushing blow. The legendary striker with 63 international goals was not called. The burden of scoring goals is now on the shoulders of Dusan Vlahovic and Luka Jovic. However, Paunovic is believed to only field one striker in his flagship 4-2-3-1 scheme.

England lost two Newcastle players, Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon, injured. Both were replaced by Trevoh Chalobah (Chelsea) and James Trafford (Manchester City). Three young players also got their debut opportunities: Jarell Quansah (Leverkusen), Alex Scott (Bournemouth), and Nico O'Jo (Man City).

Despite qualifying, Tuchel is predicted to keep the squad strong in order to maintain momentum. Jordan Pickford will return under the bar, likely equaling Joe Hart's record 43 clean sheets. Jude Bellingham almost certainly fell from the start, while Phil Foden was likely rested.

Serbia will appear aggressive in order to keep their chances of qualifying, but this attacking strategy could backfire against the sharp England. With a combination of wing speed and forward line effectiveness, The Three Lions are expected to party again.

England have the opportunity to close the qualifying round with a perfect record, while Serbia must hope for a miracle from another match to keep their breath for the 2026 World Cup.

Estimated line-up:

England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Konsa, Stones, Burns; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.

Serbia (4-2-3-1): Petrovic; Mimovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic, Terzic; Gudelj, Lukic; Zivkovic, Samardzic, Kostic; Vlahovic.