World Cup 2026: Serbia Will Give England a Proper Test

England vs Serbia

With four wins from four, Thomas Tuchel takes his England to Serbia on Tuesday in a game which might finally challenge this new regime.

The Three Lions are yet to concede a goal in their Group K World Cup 2026 qualification campaign, but in four matches against Albania, Latvia, and the minnows of Andorra (twice), England have scored only eight goals, a disappointing return against such modest opposition. The latest World Cup 2026 betting odds have England as the fourth favourites to win the competition next year but they have some improving to do. 

Meanwhile, Dragan Stojkovic’s Serbia are five points behind the Three Lions but with a game in hand, having beaten Latvia and Andorra after playing out a 0-0 draw with Albania in their opener. The hosts know that a win would put them in charge of the group, and that makes this clash a fascinating prospect.         

 

Talking Points

Tuchel sees progress

It’s something of an understatement to say England fans have been less than impressed by the efforts of the Three Lions in recent weeks. It definitely could have been worse for England supporters as Germany managed to lose 2-0 to Slovakia last Thursday in their qualification opener. And you can only beat what’s in front of you. But to manage a paltry three goals in 200 minutes of football against the tiny principality of Andorra, a country with a population of 87,000 which you could fit comfortably inside the Wembley Stadium.

Well…in my opinion, that is not impressive; even if you keep two clean sheets!

But Tuchel will not be disheartened, which is a good thing for a head coach I guess. In fact, despite watching his team beat Andorra 2-0 at Villa Park, thanks to an own goal and late Declan Rice header, the England boss remains hopeful he is on the right track, saying: “There are a lot of chances for goals and a lot of half chances where we can be more clinical. But overall there was much more positives than negatives today.”

With an attack led by skipper Harry Kane, comprising the experienced Marcus Rashford, and Arsenal’s big summer signings Ebereche Eze and Noni Madueke, it strikes me that Tuchel is being particularly calm suggesting one goal in open play showed more positives than negatives. Saturday’s game was not about the three points but the manner in which they were won, and a goal tally which shows that a team with England’s resources could dismantle an opponent with such a small pool to fish in.

Now Tuchel’s team needs to make a point against a nation with some big name stars in its ranks, and one which will believe it can go toe to toe with the best.         

 

Serbia’s attacking threat 

A 1-0 win away to Latvia was enough for Serbia to keen snapping at England’s heels and they will take the game to their illustrious visitors on Tuesday. The Serbs have serious quality up front and plenty of experience in an attacking unit which is capable of giving the Three Lions defence a torrid time. Skipper Aleksandar Mitrovic, now at Al Rayan in the Qatari Stars League, has 62 goals in 101 international games and he bagged a hat-trick against Andorra recently, the same number of goals the entire England attack managed against that tiny nation in two games, including an own goal.

Meanwhile, Juventus star Dusan Vlahovic, who scored the winner against Latvia, has 16 goals in 38 appearances; while 27 year old AEK Athens striker Luka Jovic is there as a back-up, with 11 goals in 46 games. A well oiled midfield which includes Sevilla’s Nemanja Gudelj and Juventus’ Filip Kostic will provide the ammunition for the strikers who will convert given half a chance.   

 

History

England beat Serbia 1-0 in their Euro 2024 finals opener thanks to a Jude Bellingham goal in the only previous competitive match between the two teams.

In terms of recent form, Serbia have three wins and two draws in 2025, while England have four wins and a single defeat, in a friendly against Senegal in June.  

 

Betting Tip

With the Premier League on hold for a couple of weeks, and the summer transfer window recently closed; these matches are something of a sideshow for many domestic footy fans, but they are deadly serious for the nations involved.   

England have a perfect set of World Cup 2026 results so far and are strong favourites at SBOTOP odds of 1.76 to win this match, with Serbia at 5.27. This is Tuchel’s biggest test so far and, on the evidence of the past week I don’t think a draw would be such a bad outcome for the Three Lions.   

   

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