We look forward to Monday’s FIFA World Cup qualifier with our England vs Latvia prediction and preview. Will Thomas Tuchel make it two wins from two video games in cost?
England vs Latvia Stats: The Key Insights
England are closely fancied to beat Latvia, with the Opta supercomputer assigning them a 94% likelihood of victory at Wembley Stadium.
The Three Lions are unbeaten of their final 32 FIFA World Cup qualifiers (24 wins, eight attracts), the longest ongoing run of any European nation.
After supplying an help for Myles Lewis-Skelly in opposition to Albania, Jude Bellingham has teed up 4 objectives in his final six video games for England – greater than he did in his first 35 caps (three).
The Thomas Tuchel period began in stable if unspectacular trend on Friday, as England cruised to a 2-0 win over Albania to kickstart their FIFA World Cup qualification marketing campaign.
Whereas Tuchel relied largely on the core of gamers that served the Three Lions so effectively all through Gareth Southgate’s eight years on the helm, there have been a few shock inclusions in his first lineup as Dan Burn and Myles Lewis-Skelly made their senior worldwide debuts.
Lewis-Skelly might hardly have hoped for a greater begin to his Three Lions profession, latching onto a pinpoint by means of ball from Jude Bellingham to attain a Twentieth-minute opener and write his title into the document books.
Aged 18 years and 176 days, the Arsenal full-back turned the youngest participant to attain on his senior England debut, surpassing Marcus Rashford’s document of 18 years and 209 days in opposition to Australia in Could 2016.
A extra acquainted face bought the second aim of the Tuchel period to wrap up the factors within the second half, with Harry Kane tucking house for his seventieth senior England aim.
Solely seven different gamers nonetheless lively on the worldwide degree have handed the 70-goal mark for his or her nations, with Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Romelu Lukaku, Robert Lewandowski and Neymar amongst them.
That strike made Kane the primary England participant to attain on his first look underneath three totally different managers (Roy Hodgson, Southgate and Tuchel), whereas he has now netted 41 instances in 36 appearances in qualifying for main tournaments (World Cup and Euros).
There was loads of pre-game curiosity in how Tuchel would line England up, notably after the previous Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Bayern Munich coach mentioned the Three Lions lacked a coherent identification at Euro 2024.
He set them up in a 4-2-3-1 system, although Albania’s defensive strategy meant there was little alternative to see Tuchel’s trademark excessive press in motion. The Three Lions needed to be affected person of their strategy play, with their 437 profitable passes within the first half their most within the first half of any match on document with Opta in any competitors.
Their complete of 863 passes (811 accomplished) by full-time was additionally England’s fifth-most on document in any World Cup qualifier, solely enjoying extra in three separate matches in opposition to San Marino (in 2012 and twice in 2021) and versus Malta in 2016.
However Tuchel declared after the match that England wanted extra from their wingers, saying Rashford and Phil Foden had been “not as decisive as they are often”.
Rashford tried (5) and accomplished (three) extra dribbles than some other participant on the pitch, although he solely created one likelihood and failed to aim a single shot. With Anthony Gordon struggling an harm late on, the Aston Villa loanee might get one other alternative on Monday, however he might want to provide a greater finish product.
Foden, in the meantime, has struggled to seek out his finest type in an England shirt for a while now, going 17 worldwide appearances and not using a aim or an help since netting in a 3-1 pleasant victory over Scotland in September 2023. His beginning spot might be underneath menace, with Jarrod Bowen the most probably candidate to come back in.
Bellingham will doubtless retain his place within the quantity 10 place after teeing up Lewis-Skelly’s debut aim, his fourth help in his final six worldwide appearances, yet another than he recorded in his first 35 outings for England (three). The Actual Madrid star now has 11 aim involvements in his final 16 England video games, scoring 5 and aiding six.
Curtis Jones partnered Declan Rice on the base of midfield in opposition to Albania, however would possibly Tuchel decide to make a change and usher in Jordan Henderson? By coming off the bench late on Friday, the Ajax man – who was already the primary participant to symbolize England whereas enjoying for a Saudi Arabian membership – turned the primary participant to play for England from a Dutch membership.
Opponents Latvia additionally bought off to a profitable begin in Group Okay on Friday, with Dario Šits’ aim sufficient handy them a 1-0 victory in Andorra.
They’ve by no means certified for the World Cup, with Euro 2004 representing the one main event finals look of their historical past, whereas they lately completed backside of a UEFA Nations League group containing North Macedonia, Armenia and Faroe Islands.
England vs Latvia Head-to-Head
This would be the first-ever assembly between England and Latvia.
The Three Lions are unbeaten of their final 32 World Cup qualifiers (24 wins, eight attracts), the longest ongoing run of any European nation.
Latvia, in the meantime, are unbeaten of their final three World Cup qualifiers, having drawn 0-0 with Norway and overwhelmed Gibraltar 3-1 to complete their unsuccessful 2022 marketing campaign.
They final went extra video games with out defeat in World Cup qualification between October 2008 and September 2009 (5 matches) – their return of 17 factors in that qualification marketing campaign (for the 2010 World Cup) was the very best of their historical past.
England vs Latvia Prediction
England, fourth within the FIFA World Rankings, made mild work of the staff ranked sixty fifth in Albania, so it’s no shock that they’re heavy favourites to beat One hundred and fortieth-ranked Latvia.
Tuchel’s males had been triumphant in 94% of the Opta supercomputer’s 10,000 pre-match simulations, dropping in 2% and drawing in 4%.
With Serbia not starting their marketing campaign till June 7, the Three Lions have a chance to place far between themselves and their major Group Okay rivals.
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