Albania v England preview
England manager Thomas Tuchel insisted finishing qualifying for the World Cup with a 100 percent record and without conceding the goal is not the motivation ahead of their Group K finale with Albania.
The Three Lions have been imperious in qualifying for the 2026 finals, and can become the first European team in history to go through a campaign without dropping a point or conceding should they keep Albania at bay with a victory on Sunday.
But doing so is not at the forefront of Tuchel’s mind ahead of the game in Tirana.
“I didn’t speak a single word about that,” Tuchel said when asked if he was using that prospect as a motivator for his players.
“We need to get the foundation right to have a chance to have these records. Just by thinking about it or by talking about it, nothing will change.
“We need to deliver again. The feeling and the trust is absolutely there because I witnessed this in camp. I trust my players to perform again.”
For Albania, the focus is on the play-offs in March, having clinched second place in the group with victory over Andorra on Thursday as England ended Serbia’s hopes with a 2-0 win at Wembley.
Albanian FA president Armand Duka told FSHF: “Qualifying for the play-offs is historic for us and I believe we should all feel lucky to live in this era. Our objective was second place.
“We knew that we would have a very difficult time against England – not impossible, because in football anything can happen, but we knew that it would be difficult. To be honest, anything can be expected from [our] team [against England].
“It is a law of football that any result can happen. So I want to believe that – why not? – we can try to be the winners. Even if we accept that we are playing against the finalists of the last European Championship and one of the top five best teams in the world.”
Albania v England team news
Neither team has any new injury issues to deal with following their victories on Thursday. Marc Guehi has left the England camp for further treatment on a foot issue that kept him out against Serbia.
England may shuffle their pack in the attacking areas. Jude Bellingham could return to the starting XI, while Eberechi Eze will also be hoping for a recall after scoring as a substitute against Serbia.
Albania v England predicted lineups
Albania starting XI: Strakosha; Hysaj, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Mitaj; Asllani, Shehu; Broja, Laci, Hoxha; Manaj
England starting XI: Pickford; Spence, Konsa, Stones, Burn; Wharton, Rice; Saka, Bellingham, Eze; Kane
How to watch Albania v England: Live stream, TV channel
England vs Serbia kicks off on Sunday at 17:00 GMT (12:00 ET / 09:00 PT) and can be watched on ITV1 and STV.
Fans can stream the action via ITV’s website and ITVX app, which is available on a vast variety of devices for viewing on the go.
