2026 World Cup Qualification: Predicting England's lineup vs Albania

Ahead of the World Cup Qualifier against Albania, Ladbrokes has a punt at predicting England's lineup, with the likes of Bukayo Saka and Harry Kane featuring.

Another routine victory on Thursday night saw Thomas Tuchel's side maintain their perfect record in World Cup qualifying, with seven wins from seven and zero goals conceded seeing England qualify for the 2026 World Cup without a moment's concern.

A strong starting XI was picked for that recent win over Serbia, despite the game carrying no real importance, and we're predicting a similar lineup here. Tuchel is putting a lot of emphasis on consistency and on-field relationships, so it wouldn't be a surprise to see the England team look very similar on Sunday. Here is our prediction for England's lineup vs Albania.

Formation: 4-2-3-1

• GK - Jordan Pickford

• RB - Reece James

• CB - Ezri Konsa

• CB - Dan Burn

• LB - Djed Spence

• CM - Declan Rice

• CM - Elliot Anderson

• RW - Bukayo Saka

• CAM - Jude Bellingham

• LW - Eberechi Eze

• ST - Harry Kane (C)

Having earned his 80th England cap last month in the win against Latvia, Jordan Pickford is edging ever-closer to the 100 club, and we're expecting the undisputed number one to be given his 82nd cap in Albania.

Thomas Tuchel has stuck with Pickford in recent matches, even in friendlies, demonstrating just how crucial he thinks consistency between the sticks is - with his only defeat as England boss coming at the hands of Senegal when he rotated his keeper. Pickford should be one of the more straightforward picks for us, with the Everton man proving decisive for both club and country.

With Reece James enjoying what is a long overdue run of games, the Chelsea captain is the standout right back in Thomas Tuchel's squad for this November international break, as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker are forced to watch from home.

James has been favoured by the England manager in recent competitive outings, and we're anticipating another start for the 25-year-old in Albania on Sunday evening. With Chelsea flying high in the Premier League and James leading the way in a youthful Blues backline, he's really starting to grow into the player we all hoped he could be - and he'll be rewarded with another England cap here.

Ezri Konsa has been a constant source of quality for a few years now, and has stood out in Aston Villa's impressive run of recent form. The centre back plays every minute for Unai Emery, and has started to do the same for Thomas Tuchel, with Konsa completing 90 minutes in each of England's last four matches.

With Marc Guehi carrying an injury and looking unlikely to feature, Konsa's place in the side is even more secure, and predicting the Villa man to start against Albania seems an easy pick. Tuchel has been known to throw up a few surprises in his lineups, and England having already qualified means he may well rotate the side more than we expect - but Ladbrokes is tipping Konsa to earn his 18th cap from the start.

Our first change from Thursday night sees Dan Burn come in for John Stones - purely because asking Stones to play two games in four days seems like a bit too much for the injury-prone defender. The Man City man earned his 86th cap in the win over Serbia on Thursday night, so is far-and-away the most experienced of the defensive options - but Burn has always been solid for his country, and we're backing the big Geordie to get the nod.

With four caps to his name, Burn is nowhere near being a nailed-on regular for England, but has become a consistent figure in Thomas Tuchel's squads, and he always performs reasonably well when called upon. Alongside Konsa, he offers a different style of play, and is always a huge aerial threat - as seen with his Champions League goal last week.

The second change to our predicted England lineup sees Djed Spence come in for Thursday's debutant Nico O'Reilly, who played the full 90 minutes as England brushed Serbia aside. Spence has started the domestic season pretty well with Spurs, earning three caps for his country in the last three months, and we're tipping him to get another start on Sunday.

The right-footed full back has been deployed at left back for Tottenham this season, and is therefore perfectly comfortable on that side of the pitch. His ability going forward is a huge part of his game, and despite O'Reilly having a really positive debut, we think Spence's slightly superior experience will see him line up for England in Tirana.

Declan Rice is really emerging as one of the world's best midfielders this season, with the Arsenal man dominating games week in, week out - and we expect him to keep his place in England's midfield. The question seems to be who will partner Rice at the 2026 World Cup, with the 26-year-old's place all but set in England's double pivot.

Rice captained England in their friendly win over Wales in October, and is proving just as crucial for Thomas Tuchel as he is for Mikel Arteta. With 71 caps to his name already, Rice looks a shoo-in to one day surpass 100 games for his country, and we're thoroughly expecting him to add to his total against Albania.

Alongside Rice, we're predicting that Elliot Anderson will start for England for the sixth consecutive match, with the 22-year-old suddenly becoming a pivotal figure in Thomas Tuchel's midfield. A man of the match display on his debut set the tone, and the Nottingham Forest man hasn't looked back.

The England boss specifically mentioned Anderson and his importance to the side before Thursday's win over Serbia, and with the level of performance he continues to put in, there's no reason for the boss to tinker. Despite Forest getting off to a poor start in the league, Anderson has continued to star on the domestic stage, and we think his position in England's team is safe - even if this game doesn't carry the weight of previous matches.

Bukayo Saka was the man (yet again) to get the ball rolling on Thursday night, with a delightful volley setting England on their way to a seventh win from seven in World Cup Qualification, and his position on that right-hand side looks pretty set heading into next summer's tournament in USA, Canada and Mexico.

Despite the game being somewhat meaningless due to England's spot at the World Cup already being secure, we think Tuchel will continue to put out a team close to his best, with Saka the standout option on the wing. Jarrod Bowen provides stiff competition, but the West Ham captain's influence on his country struggles to come close. Saka has 14 goals for England now in just 47 caps, and will continue to be a key man for a long, long time.

Featuring in his first England camp since June, Jude Bellingham was forced to watch the majority of Thursday night's win from the bench, with Tuchel preferring Rogers due to his greater understanding of the new system - but a player of Bellingham's quality can't be kept quiet for long, and we think he'll be given the chance to impress from the start on Sunday.

The Real Madrid midfielder has already produced some hugely significant moments in his young England career, and will undoubtedly catch the eye when given the opportunity. He is one of the genuine superstars in this England setup, and despite Rogers continuing to perform excellently for his country, Ladbrokes is expecting Bellingham to get the nod to face Albania.

Despite not being a conventional left winger, we think Eze could get a start in Tirana in place of Marcus Rashford, with the Arsenal man scoring a peach on Thursday night and offering a unique skillset against a potentially deep Albania backline. His match-sealing finish against Serbia was his second England goal in as many games, and we're expecting his form to be rewarded.

Eze has become a key man for Mikel Arteta since joining from Palace in the summer, operating in the central areas and drifting towards the left - which would certainly keep the Albania defenders guessing. Marcus Rashford will feel he deserves another start, and he's a very strong option, but we think the close proximity of these two game will tempt Tuchel into a change - with Eze the beneficiary.

Rounding off our England lineup predictions for the clash against Albania, we've got arguably the easiest of the lot. Skipper Harry Kane is far and away the most in-form player in the squad, scoring 23 goals for Bayern already this season - only failing to find the net in three club games since August.

With Ollie Watkins not called up and the rest of the competition looking incredibly light, Kane looks destined to lead England out on Sunday, earning cap number 112 - and he's likely to score for the 77th time in an England shirt. England's captain, talisman, and all-time record goalscorer will get another start, completing a strong XI.

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