Successful Tuchel debut?

The ball is resting in the top international leagues this weekend, as the first international break of the year is upon us. While numerous European national teams are competing in the Nations League, the Three Lions are set to kick off their World Cup qualifiers. And the bookies don’t seriously doubt that Thomas Tuchel’s team will start the qualifying round for the 2026 finals with a victory over the rank outsiders from the Balkans.

And we also see few reasons in our England vs. Albania prediction as to why the international match opener for German coach Thomas Tuchel with his Three Lions should go wrong next Friday. In addition to the clear individual advantages over the Albanians, the English have Wembley Stadium behind them. With the home advantage behind us, we expect a clear, albeit rather unadorned, victory for the English team.

Because in the recent past, the Three Lions didn’t jump much higher than they had to, which is why we expect only a few goals next Friday. In addition, their upcoming opponents, Albania, have only scored once in six previous international matches against the favorites from the British Isles. And this time? At the England vs. Albania odds, we see potential for a low-scoring encounter or a clean sheet for the home team at the bookie Betano.

England – statistics & current form

So, next Friday marks the beginning of a new era for English football under Thomas Tuchel. His predecessor Gareth Southgate was in charge for eight years and at least he could hardly be accused of a lack of success. Nevertheless, as so often in the past, the Three Lions also failed to win a major title during his tenure. And the way Southgate’s teams often played football would probably be covered up in the motherland of football.

At least England celebrated the European Championship runner-up title last summer. And in the Nations League, which was played to the end under interim manager Lee Carsley after Southgate was sacked after the European Championship, England secured first place in the group with five wins from six games and thus direct promotion. So not everything under Tuchel’s predecessor was bad.

Nevertheless, his era is also remembered for the fact that the highly talented Three Lions often struggled against significantly weaker nations. Most of the time, they only managed narrow victories, if that. However, we think it is rather unlikely that Thomas Tuchel will be able to directly address the playing deficits of his new team.

Will England celebrate a lackluster victory?

That’s why we’re not tipping a landslide victory for England against Albania with our Interwetten Freebet code. On top of that, the national teams have not had to play an international match for a long time, which is why it is to be expected that the Three Lions will need a certain amount of time to find their game next Friday. Ultimately, however, we expect the wheels to engage again as the game progresses and Tuchel and his team to prevail on his debut.

Lineup: Pickford, Burns, Walker, Guehi, Hall, Gallagher, Jones, Rashford, Bellingham, Gordon, Kane

Albania – statistics & current form

Last summer, Albania celebrated one of the greatest successes in their international history with only their second appearance at the European Championship. And there the team from the Balkan peninsula showed that they can at least keep up with the European top teams. They only narrowly lost to the favorites Italy and Spain, and managed to draw with Croatia.

At the finals, the Red and Blacks showed that their defense is one of Sylvinho’s team’s key strengths. That’s why the odds for a low-scoring game in England against Albania are interesting with a no deposit freebet. It’s no coincidence that the Brazilian manager’s team have scored just seven goals in their last five internationals.

Surprised Albania at Wembley?

While the team from Southeast Europe is solid at the back, it is stuck in its own offense. So in three of the last five internationals, the zero was in front. Three of these five games therefore ended in defeat, with just one victory coming out of these last encounters.

Our England v Albania prediction is therefore another defeat, because the Albanians are certainly not traveling to England’s capital with confidence. Based on their own form, it seems unlikely that the underdog will defy the favorites in their own backyard.

Line-up: Strakosha, Balliu, Ismajli, Ajeti, Mitaj, Laci, Ramadani, Asllani, Asani, Daku, Bajrami

England – Albania Head-to-head record

Clear result in the direct comparison of the two nations. The two national teams have faced each other six times so far, with the English team winning six times. Particularly noteworthy is the previous goal difference of 19:1. Should Thomas Tuchel’s team win their next competitive game at Wembley this Friday, the betting providers are offering only low odds for England to win at home against Albania.

England – Albania betting tip

The announcement of the English squad had a few surprises in store. Marcus Rashford and Jordan Henderson are making their comeback to the national team under Thomas Tuchel after a long absence. In addition, the German has called up two debutants, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Dan Burn, for the England squad.

Otherwise, Tuchel is largely relying on the core staff of his predecessor Gareth Southgate. We therefore do not expect any negative effects for our England v Albania home win tip. On the contrary, we expect the Three Lions to be highly motivated in Tuchel’s debut to secure their first victory on the road to the 2026 World Cup.

Tuchel’s counterpart Sylvinho, on the other hand, can only dream of such high-caliber nominations. His squad is worth about half the market value of England midfield star Jude Bellingham. Nevertheless, he can call on a whole range of internationally experienced professionals, not for nothing did the Red and Blacks qualify for the European Championship finals last summer.

Moreover, the proud Albanians give their all in every game for their country. And since the team from the Balkan peninsula has certain qualities, especially defensively, we do not expect a clear victory for the favorites from the home of football in our England v Albania prediction. Nevertheless, the English are likely to prevail in front of their home crowd at the start of the World Cup qualifiers.