Preview:Serbia vs England - prediction, team news, lineups

England will be aiming to make it five wins from their opening five 2026 World Cup qualification matches when they make the trip to Belgrade on Tuesday to tackle a talented Serbia outfit.

The Three Lions are top of Group K on 12 points, five points ahead of second-placed Serbia, although the hosts, who are unbeaten in the section thus far, have a game in hand on their opponents here.

Match preview

Serbia opened their 2026 World Cup qualification campaign with a goalless draw against Albania on June 7, but they have been victorious in their last two games, overcoming Andorra and Latvia.

The Eagles have scored four and conceded zero in their three matches, with seven points leaving them second in the table, five points behind leaders England, so a victory on Tuesday would move them to within two points of the summit.

Dragan Stojkovic's side will be looking to claim at least a playoff spot, but a win in this contest would give them real confidence when it comes to a possible first-placed finish in the section.

Serbia have been present in the finals of three of the last four World Cups, being eliminated in the group stage in 2010, 2018 and 2022, while they also faced to progress past the group stage of Euro 2024.

The Eagles have tackled England on one previous occasion, with the two teams locking horns in the group stage of Euro 2024, and it was the Three Lions that triumphed courtesy of a goal from Jude Bellingham.

England made it four wins from their four games in the section with a 2-0 success over Andorra on Saturday, but it was far from a convincing performance against a side ranked 174th in the world by FIFA.

Declan Rice added to an own goal from Christian Garcia to leave England in a commanding spot at the top of the section, but it is now just three goals scored in their two games against Andorra in Group K.

Thomas Tuchel's side have also beaten Latvia and Albania in this qualification campaign, and they are also yet to concede a single goal in the section, with the England defence standing strong.

The Three Lions should have no problems qualifying for the World Cup, but it remains to be seen how they perform, with Tuchel under pressure considering that the national side have made the final of the last two European Championships.

England were fourth at the 2018 World Cup before being knocked out in the quarter-finals of the 2022 competition, and they will be up against it next summer, with the likes of Spain, France and Brazil set to be major challengers for the trophy.

Serbia World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

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Serbia form (all competitions):

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England World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

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England form (all competitions):

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Team News

Serbia have not reported any injury concerns following their game with Latvia, but there will be changes to the starting side on Tuesday, with Aleksandar Mitrovic in line for a return in the final third of the field.

Mitrovic is Serbia's all-time leading goalscorer with 62, and he could replace Luka Jovic, with Dusan Vlahovic also set to operate in the final third for the home side on Tuesday.

Elsewhere, there are likely to be recalls for Nemanja Gudelj and Nemanja Maksimovic in the middle, while there should also be a start in the middle of the defence for the vice-captain Nikola Milenkovic.

England have not reported any injury problems from their clash with Andorra last time out, and there are unlikely to be many changes from the side that took to the field for the first whistle.

That said, Marcus Rashford and Eberechi Eze both struggled to make their mark, and there could now be introductions into the starting side for Anthony Gordon and Morgan Rogers in forward areas.

Ezri Konsa could also come in for Dan Burn in the middle of the defence, but there could be another start for Elliot Anderson, who excelled on his display against Andorra.

Serbia possible starting lineup:

Petrovic; Milenkovic, Erakovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Gudelj, Maksimovic, Samardzic, Terzic; Mitrovic, Vlahovic

England possible starting lineup:

Pickford; James, Guehi, Konsa, Lewis-Skelly; Anderson, Rice; Madueke, Rogers, Gordon; Kane

We say: Serbia 1-1 England

Serbia are a strong team with a whole host of excellent players, and this is set to be a very tough test for England; we are struggling to back the Three Lions with any real confidence here and have had to settle on a draw.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.