England vs. Latvia: WQC Match Preview, Odds & Predictions

At Monday night's match at Wembley Stadium, England and Latvia will face off in Group K of the UEFA World Cup 2026 Qualifying, which is already a top-of-the-table matchup. On Friday, the Three Lions' Thomas Tuchel era kicked off with a two-goal victory against Albania, as predicted, while their away team narrowly beat Andorra 1-0.

Previous Matches and Head-to-head

On a night filled with firsts for both players and managers, Tuchel continued a familiar tradition as England head coach, becoming the eleventh permanent manager to win the first game in charge of the 1966 World Cup champions. Gareth Southgate followed this.

Although Tuchel was the centre of attention before the game, the attention quickly shifted to 18-year-old Arsenal sensation Myles Lewis-Skelly when he scored the first goal for England on his debut. The game was ultimately decided by Harry Kane's compulsory goal, which was also his 70th for his nation.

Even though Albania gave the Three Lions a fright in the first half, they were mostly undisturbed in the second half (apart from Kane's nice strike), and Tuchel was forthright about his team's inadequacies on Friday night.

However, what really matters is that Tuchel has a perfect record in England matches and that his team is now ranked first in Group K. They are not likely to lose this position even once until the Qualifying cycle ends in November.

The Three Lions have not lost a home World Cup Qualifying match since October 2000, when they were defeated by Tuchel's homeland Germany. This impressive run of 32 consecutive matches dates back to 2009 when they lost 1-0 to Ukraine.

While England hopes for a trouble-free World Cup, Latvia is aiming to qualify for the Finals for the first time since becoming an independent republic after eight unsuccessful attempts after the Soviet Union's dissolution.

But the 11 Wolves are off to a good start in their quest for a North American ticket, as Paolo Nicolato's side beat off fellow minnows Andorra in a close match on Friday. Substitute Dario Sits headed in a Roberts Savalnieks corner just before the hour mark.

Consequently, second-placed Latvia are just behind their future hosts on goal differential. However, Nicolato's side shouldn't get their hopes up just yet, given that Serbia has yet to start its preliminary campaign and Albania is guaranteed to rebound from its Wembley defeat.

The world's 140th-ranked team, who finished last in UEFA Nations League League C Group 4, might be sent down to the lowest division if they lose a two-legged playoff versus Gibraltar in 12 months. Their win over Andorra broke a four-match losing streak.

Incredibly, however, the 11 Wolves have gone five games without losing in away World Cup qualifiers—tying Norway and Turkey in 2021 and winning their last two matches against Gibraltar and Andorra.

While the men's national teams of England and Latvia have never played each other in a senior men's international match, the women's teams did meet in a 2021 World Cup qualifier. The Lionesses pounded the Latvians 20-0—unsurprisingly, England's biggest-ever victory in a senior match.

England x Latvia Team News

On Friday night, when players like Kane and Lewis-Skelly revelled in acclaim, nobody gave much regard to poor Anthony Gordon, who injured himself shortly after coming on as a replacement for Marcus Rashford in the second half of the match against Albania.

After the game, Tuchel said in his press conference that the problem with the Newcastle United winger was "a bit concerning," and on Sunday morning, it was confirmed that Gordon had left the team.

If everything goes according to plan, Tuchel will be using the same starting lineup from Friday's victory and will likely shake things up as he considers his choices; this is great news for players like Jarrod Bowen, Reece James, Jordan Henderson, and Levi Colwill.

Tuchel didn't include Aaron Ramsdale, Jarell Quansah, or Morgan Gibbs-White on Friday's matchday roster, but on Monday, Gordon's worry could clear a space for Gibbs-White.

Nicolato reportedly made a tactical change in the second half to play more offensively, replacing midfielder Deniss Melniks with Sits, but otherwise, Latvia seemed fit to play after their victory against Andorra.

Although the visiting manager could have played more conservatively from the start at Wembley, Sits has presented a compelling argument to replace either Dmitrijs Zelenkovs or Vladislavs Gutkovskis up front. Sits plays club football for Helmond Sport in the Netherlands' second division.

Our Predictions

Over 3.5 goals @ 1.44 on Sky247.ng

Though England's showing on Friday was, to put it mildly, lacklustre, Tuchel's squad should have no problem sweeping Latvia away.

As Tuchel maintains his spotless start as a coach, the 11 Wolves, even with a defence-heavy formation, should be unable to halt a rejuvenated Three Lions attack. 

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