Albania vs. England: Can Thomas Tuchel lead the Three Lions to a perfect World Cup qualifying campaign?
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
England on the verge of historic defensive achievement
England have been sensational in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers (UEFA), and were the only team that came into this month’s fixtures having already secured their spot in the global showpiece next year in North America.
The Three Lions confirmed our football predictions on Thursday night when they overcame Serbia 2-0 at home, which took them to 21 points at the top of the Group K standings and extended their winning streak to nine games (in competitive matches).
That result also marked England’s ninth consecutive clean sheet in competitive fixtures!
Another shutout victory for Thomas Tuchel’s side tonight will see them equal the record for the most consecutive competitive match wins without conceding, which is currently held by Spain, who went 10 in a row between October 2014 and June 2016.
During this incredible run, which began while Lee Carsley was at the helm last year, England have faced only nine shots on target. Under Tuchel’s leadership, Jordan Pickford has only been forced into three saves from shots on target.
England will be confident in their chances of extending their excellent record here, given their performances on the road of late. They’ve won their last six away games in all competitions, which is their second-best run since the mid-1960s.
Harry Kane to get back on the scoresheet in Tirana?
While England’s defence has received the lion’s share of the praise over the last year, their attack has been excellent as well, with Harry Kane currently enjoying arguably the best form of his life for both club and country.
The Three Lions’ skipper has netted 13 goals in 10 Bundesliga games this term. Despite drawing a blank against Serbia, he has already scored six times in this qualification cycle, and our experts are expecting another big performance from him tonight, according to our Albania vs. England prediction.
Kane also fancies playing against this opposition, having been involved in seven goals (5 goals, 2 assists) in his last three appearances against them. Only against Bulgaria has he been involved in more goals (4 goals, 4 assists).
Albania vs. England: Key Stats and Match Details
This is the eighth time that Albania will face England, and the Three Lions have won all seven previous encounters, including a 2-0 victory in the reverse fixture back in March, in which the Eagles recorded a mere 0.06 xG.
In each of the seven previous meetings, Albania have conceded two or more goals while only scoring once. However, this week’s hosts are currently unbeaten in their last eight matches across all competitions and have kept clean sheets in three of their last four at home.
ALB-ENG - Match details:
Date: Sunday, November 16
Time: 17:00 GMT
Venue: Arena Kombetare, Tirana
Live coverage: ITV and via our football livescores
Referee: Marco Guida (ITA)
Assistant referees: Giorgio Peretti and Alessio Berto
VAR: Marco Di Bello (ITA)
