We have an England v Albania prediction for you plus a breakdown of the betting odds, team news and matchups ahead of their World Cup qualifying Group Stage opener.
It’s a new era for England with Thomas Tuchel taking charge of the nation for the very first time following the departure of long-term manager Gareth Southgate.
Albania are coming off a tough 2024 losing seven and drawing two of their thirteen matches.
How To Watch England v Albania
When is England v Albania?
England v Albania is on Friday at 7.45 pm.
TV Channel
Virgin Media 2
Where is England v Albania Being Played?
Wembley Stadium, London, England
England v Albania Odds – Nations League
Team | Odds | Chance |
|---|---|---|
England | 1/8 | 88.9% |
Albania | 20/1 | 4.8% |
Draw | 13/2 | 13.3% |
The England are priced at 1/8 to win this game.
England to win – 1/8
England to win – 1/8
Albania are priced at 20/1 and the draw is a 13/2 chance.
Albania to win – 20/1
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Handicap Betting
England: -2 @ 5/4
Albania: +2 @ 6/4
Handicap Draw: -2 @ 11/4
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England v Albania Preview
England’s Form
The circus around who would replace Gareth Southgate as England Manager ended on the 16th of October last year when Thomas Tuchel was announced as the next permanent Head Coach of the England National Team with his tenure set to begin on the first day of 2025. While some bemoaned the fact that a “German” took the role he comes into the job with a genuine coaching pedigree in 18 years of club management managing the likes of Borussia Dortmund, PSG, Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
There was always going to be beaded eyes on the first England Squad that he named to see whether it would follow the conservative tune of predecessor Gareth Southgate or follow the bold decision-making of former interim boss Lee Carsley. While Lewis-Skelly was called up for the first time there remains somewhat of a conservatism with Henderson (34) recalled into the squad. It’s still too early to cast aspersions on the broader outlook of the English squad long-term.
This is a very easy first test for Thomas Tuchel’s iteration of England so it’ll be interesting to see if the shackles are released and they can start his tenure the right way.
England’s Last Five Results
England 5-0 Ireland | November 17th | Win
Greece 0-3 England | November 14th | Win
Finland 1-3 England | October 13th | Win
England 1-2 Greece | October 10th | Loss
England 2-0 Finland | September 10th | Win
4 Wins and 1 Loss
Albania’s Form
Sylvinho has been in charge of Albania since he was appointed in January 2023 which would be his first foray into International management following a brief spell at Lyon in 2019 and then with Corinthians from 2021-2022. He was tasked with the initial goal of qualifying Albania for Euro 2024 which he would achieve with a qualifying record of four wins, three draws and just one defeat. At the tournament, they put in a solid showing losing only 2-1 to Italy, 0-1 against Spain and drawing 2-2 with Croatia.
While Albania’s stature in International Football is relatively small, Slyvinho has cultivated a some of it’s parts mentality with Albania generally overachieving when looking at the quality of players at their disposal. They do retain talent though with a Serie A CB pairing of Djimsiti and Ismajli, Inter midfielder Asllani and Broja leading the line who is a solid linkman albeit not the most potent of finishers.
Albania have little to lose in this game but will have to adopt a robust low block and ride their luck a lot to stand a chance of any result in this game.
Albania’s Last Five Results
Albania 1-2 Ukraine | November 19th | Loss
Albania 0-0 Czechia | November 16th | Draw
Georgia 0-1 Albania | October 14th | Win
Czechia 2-0 Albania | October 11th | Loss
Albania 0-1 Georgia | September 10th | Loss
3 Losses, 1 Win and 1 Draw
England v Albania Predicted Lineups
England Predicted Starting XI (4-2-3-1)
GK: Pickford
RB: James, CB: Guehi, CB: Colwill, LB: Lewis-Skelly
CM: Rice, CM: Henderson,
RW: Foden, AM: Bellingham, LW: Gordon
CF: Kane
Albania Predicted Starting XI (4-3-3)
GK: Strakosha
RB: Balliu, CB: Ismajli, CB: Djimsitit, LB: Mihaj
CM: Asllani, CM: Ramadani, Laci
RW: Asani, CF: Broja, LW: Muci
England v Albania Head-To-Head Results & Stats
All-Time Head-To-Head Record
England wins: 6
Albania wins: 0
Draws: 0
Head-To-Head Results
England 5-0 Albania | World Cup Qualifying | November 12th, 2021
Albania 0-2 England | World Cup Qualifying | March 28th, 2021
England 2-0 Albania | World Cup Qualifying | September 5th, 2001
Albania 1-3 England | World Cup Qualifying | March 28th, 2001
England 5-0 Albania | World Cup Qualifying | April 26th, 1989
Key Players To Watch
Harry Kane – England
England’s record goalscorer with 69 goals in 103 appearances might now be 31 years old but his importance for his country remains steadfast. That was shown last October when interim manager Carseley’s adaptation to deal with the absence of Kane without a genuine striker contributed to their 1-2 defeat to Greece.
For Bayern this season Kane has 32 goals and 11 assists though recently his form has been saved for the Champions League going scoreless in his last five Bundesliga matches. If you fancy him to score he is 5/2 for the first scorer and 4/6 to score anytime.
Harry Kane anytime goalscorer – 4/6
Armando Broja – Albania
The mainman for Albania is Everton striker who is on loan at the club from Chelsea, Broja (23) has been capped 23 times for the Senior Team since 2020 and has scored 5 goals. While not the most prolific of players, he is a capable dribbler and should link up any of the Albanian attacks.
He is priced at 4/1 to score first in this game and can be gotten at odds of 6/4 to score at any time.
Armando Broja anytime goalscorer – 7/1
England v Albania Prediction & Best Bet
Prediction: England 3-0 Albania
It’s a new dame for the England National Team and it’ll be interesting to see if Thomas Tuchel can make them a proper attacking force.
Albania are footballing minnows but last year did have a draw 2-2 against Croatia and a 1-2 win over Ukraine so can’t be completely dismissed.
Realistically, I can’t see beyond a comfortable England victory.
Best Bet: Harry Kane's first scorer @ 5/2
Harry Kane first goalscorer – 5/2
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*Prices are subject to fluctuation.
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