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England continue their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign against Serbia in Belgrade today.
Thomas Tuchel's side beat Andorra 2-0 on Saturday to continue their 100 per cent start in Group K.
England are top of the group having won four from four so far, but second-placed Serbia will provide the toughest test so far.
England XI: Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, Livramento; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Rogers, Gordon; Kane.
Serbia XI: Petrovic; Erakovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Nedeljkovic, Maksimovic, Lukic, Birmancevic; Zivkovic, I. Ilic; Vlahovic.
GO FURTHER
Elliot Anderson offers Thomas Tuchel a solution to England’s problematic No 6 role
Though Myles Lewis-Skelly was the sole member of the 24-man squad for the international break left out of the 23-man matchday squad for this evening's game, given a rest, he is here in situ to cheer on the team.
Tino Livramento is given the nod over Djed Spence in a chance to audition for that left-back spot tonight.
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Noni Madueke doesn't look too fussed, though!
This will be something new for most of England’s players tonight — unless they have played at Rajko Mitic Stadium before.
The unique and intimidating 240-metre walk from the dressing room to get onto the pitch is infamous in European football.
It will take Harry Kane and Co roughly two minutes to complete the walk through the stooped tunnel which has artwork to celebrate club side Red Star Belgrade, who usually play their home games there.
Serbian riot police out in force.
Here are both sets of substitutes.
Serbia: Rosic (GK), V. Ilic (GK); Veljkovic, Babic, Gudelj, Samardzic, Racic, Kostic, Katai, Stulic, Mitrovic, Jovic.
England: D. Henderson (GK), Trafford (GK); Quansah, Burn, Spence, J. Henderson, Loftus-Cheek, Gibbs-White, Eze, Bowen, Rashford, Watkins.
While Serbia's line-up is as follows.
Serbia (3-4-2-1): Petrovic; Erakovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Nedeljkovic, Maksimovic, Lukic, Birmancevic; Zivkovic, I. Ilic; Vlahovic.
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England's XI for tonight is as follows.
England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Konsa, Guehi, Livramento; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Rogers, Gordon; Kane.
And speaking of those line-ups, they are expected imminently.
Marc Guehi is fit enough for the squad, but will he start after feeling his groin against Andorra? Will Elliot Anderson be trusted with another start? And who will get the nod at full-back and on the wings?
We are only moments away from finding out.
… especially as today's match is likely to be the hardest of Group K, away against the team which represents probably their biggest obstacle to finishing top of their World Cup qualifying group.
So whoever Thomas Tuchel picks tonight is likely to be illustrative of what he sees as his first-choice XI.
For the positions in the team which are not yet locked down (Jordan Pickford, Marc Guehi, Declan Rice, Harry Kane) aside, it could be telling.
After Saturday's win against Andorra, England manager Thomas Tuchel praised the debutant Elliot Anderson.
💬 “It was more of how he adapts to the situation,” he said. “His nerves… is he nervous? Can he show what he has shown in training? Can he show what he showed at Nottingham Forest?
“Straightaway, he showed it. He played with a lot of freedom and very quickly in the flow.
“He has the physicality and the mindset to play in more difficult games and his performance is clearly in the mix for us to play in Serbia.”
In Elliot Anderson, Tuchel had a midfielder who may well have strengthened his belief in playing Declan Rice further forward. The 22-year-old has a wide-ranging skillset based on athleticism, ball-carrying, and robustness.
Considering how physicality has been a perceived weakness of his midfield competitors, this may count in Anderson’s favour as England build towards next summer’s World Cup.
Against Andorra, Anderson’s head was on a swivel, constantly adjusting his position to provide a passing lane. He was forward-thinking and confident, not cowed by being on debut and the sense of occasion that comes with it.
Anderson’s energy was relentless, and if it turns out to be Kobbie Mainoo, Adam Wharton, or another player partnering Rice, this game may be the one that sets a blueprint for how Tuchel makes his midfield work.
GO FURTHER
Elliot Anderson offers Thomas Tuchel a solution to England’s problematic No 6 role
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Elliott Anderson put forward a convincing case to be a significant part of the conversation after an impressive performance on his England debut.
The Nottingham Forest midfielder, who a couple of years ago was close to committing to playing for Scotland, looked totally at ease in an England shirt.
Constantly demanding the ball – 77 touches in the first half alone – Anderson was not just comfortable in possession but, encouragingly, keen to pass forward whenever possible.
Anderson was also involved in the opening goal and there could, and possibly should, have been a debut goal, too. Tuchel will have taken a lot of encouragement from Anderson’s wider contribution.
Marcus Rashford has been one of Thomas Tuchel’s big projects since he became England head coach, bringing him back despite patchy club form in the hope he can find confidence and rhythm.
Playing high and wide on the left, Rashford looked desperate to impress. He ran with the ball, tried things, went past players, caught Andorra out with his clever movement. But the technical execution was never quite there.
Most tellingly, five minutes into the second half, he skewed a shot wide after Alvarez had saved from Eberechi Eze. It was the type of chance he used to be able to take in his sleep.
The left-wing slot in this team is still open. Anthony Gordon came on for Rashford and looked lively. And the better Jack Grealish does for Everton, the more pressure Tuchel will be under to find someone else.
So, what learnings from the underwhelming win in Birmingham?
Let The Athletic's Jack Pitt-Brooke and Stuart James take it away …
England, meanwhile, did beat minnows Andorra 2-0 at Villa Park on Saturday but failed to inspire with another largely turgid performance against extremely limited opposition.
All the usual platitudes apply about playing against a team with 11 men behind the ball and it being tough to break them down, though Thomas Tuchel will still have wanted more.
A Christian Garcia Gonzalez own goal midway through the first half and a Declan Rice header roughly midway through the second did the damage but England's 82 per cent of possession only yielded seven shots on target.
They will want to improve today in all aspects, both performance and result.
With that win, Serbia continued their unbeaten record to two wins and a draw from their three matches so far, seven points from a possible nine.
England remain atop Group K after a perfect record of four wins from four.
Their goal difference of +8 is double that of their nearest rival Serbia.
The two teams playing in Belgrade today are well placed to qualify for the World Cup, though if Serbia lose today they may be looking over their shoulder nervously at Albania and Latvia.
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On Saturday, Serbia's first match since their most recent World Cup qualifier on June 10, they edged past Latvia 1-0.
In Riga, the Serbs dominated the stats (20 shots to eight, seven shots on target to two, 55 per cent of possession) but overall struggled to break down a stout and disciplined Latvia side.
Dusan Vlahovic of Juventus scored the only goal 12 minutes in and the favourites could not add to their tally.
Whether you have a comment, question, observation or something else, we want to hear from you.
Is Thomas Tuchel the right man for England? Have England improved or worsened under his tenure so far? And how meaningful will it be if his side win tonight?
Let us know by emailing us at: live@theathletic.com and we'll feature some of what we receive in our coverage.
Thomas Tuchel has confirmed that Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi is fit for England’s World Cup qualifier against Serbia on Tuesday night.
Guehi was substituted for Ezri Konsa with 14 minutes left of the second half in England’s 2-0 win over Andorra on Saturday feeling his groin, but the head coach revealed yesterday evening that he will be fit to start in Belgrade.
Tuchel confirmed every England player came through training on Monday morning and will be ready to play.
“Everyone is available,” the 52-year-old said. “Everyone trained. We took care of Marc on the day of the game and yesterday, but everyone trained.”
Arsenal left-back Myles Lewis-Skelly, however, is the only player in the 24-man squad left out of the 23-man matchday squad, rested after his first 90 minutes of the season against Andorra.
That means Djed Spence or Tino Livramento are in line to start at left back today. Jarell Quansah, left out against Andorra, comes in.