England vs Latvia: Three Lions entertain Baltic minnows in first-ever clash | OneFootball

After winning on Thomas Tuchel’s touchline debut, England will aim to finish March’s international break with a 100 percent win rate when they meet Latvia at Wembley Stadium.

Goals from Myles Lewis-Skelly and Harry Kane helped the Three Lions claim a comfortable 2-0 win against Albania at the beginning of their 2026 World Cup qualifying journey.

Jude Bellingham’s delightful through ball handed the Arsenal teenager the opportunity to become the youngest-ever player to score on his England debut.

Lewis-Skelly’s opener set the tone for a winning night on Tuchel’s debut and strengthened their bid to reach the World Cup finals for an eighth time on the trot.

Heavily fancied to take three points against Baltic minnows Latvia, England will take the field confident of cementing their place at the top of Group K.

Formidable hosts

On paper, this is one of the most straightforward matches on England’s fixture list, but it will be a landmark occasion.

It will be the first-ever meeting between the two countries, who are separated by 136 places in FIFA’s world rankings.

England should mark the occasion with a comprehensive win, not least because they last lost a World Cup qualifier on home turf in October 2000.

Ominously for Latvia, the Three Lions have since racked up a jaw-dropping 26 wins from 29 home outings in qualifying cycles, drawing the other three.

Despite heading into proceedings on a two-game winning home run, accompanied by seven unanswered goals, Tuchel’s charges must not let complacency creep in.

A 2-1 defeat to Greece at Wembley in October should serve as a stark reminder of the dangers of a false sense of security.

History on Tuchel’s side

England dominated Albania in almost every aspect on Thursday.

However, like in many games towards the final stretch of Gareth Southgate’s regime, they often lacked the ‘killer pass’ in critical moments.

It’s still early, and the German boss has plenty of time to instil his ideas, but piling victories from the start remains crucial to building momentum.

Latvia cannot match the Three Lions, suggesting the 51-year-old is in the driver’s seat to maintain a rich tradition of the nation’s recent coaches.

Two of the last three England managers to oversee at least five games have won their first two matches in charge without conceding.

Another identical success is on the cards, with 12 of England’s last 15 home wins in World Cup qualifying coming ‘to nil.’

Perennial struggles

Latvia must rewrite the nation’s history if they’re to upset the odds in London and make a significant step towards securing a first-ever World Cup finals appearance.

The so-called ’11 Wolves’ have never beaten a nation ranked inside FIFA’s current top ten top-ten (D2, L21), highlighting the magnitude of the task awaiting them at Wembley.

Paolo Nicolato’s charges can take heart from beating Iberian microstate Andorra 1-0 in their Group K curtain-raiser. This was their second consecutive away win in World Cup qualifying.

Another triumph, though highly unlikely, would see the Latvians post three successive wins in this competition for the first time in the nation’s history.

Latvia should be buoyed by a five-game unbeaten streak in World Cup qualifying games on the road (W2, D3), yet it’s worth noting both wins in that run arrived against sides ranked outside FIFA’s top 170.

How could England line up?

Marcus Rashford failed to impress against Albania and may surrender his place on the left wing to his clubmate, Morgan Rogers.

Further changes could come at the back, where Reece James could dislodge Kyle Walker, with Lewis-Skelly likely to drop the bench in favour of Tino Livramento.

England (4-2-3-1): Pickford; James, Guehi, Colwill, Livramento; Rice, Henderson; Bowen, Bellingham, Rogers; Kane.