Serbia will face England on Tuesday, 9 September, in a match between the two best teams in Group K of European World Cup qualifying.
Coming into the match, England are sitting pretty on top of the pile after winning all four of their matches so far. Serbia, meanwhile, are in second place on seven points from three matches.
A win for Serbia here could throw the cat amongst the pigeons, as it would leave England facing a potential second-placed finish and a playoff to make it to the World Cup next summer.
As part of this week's round of World Cup qualifying betting tips, check out our Serbia vs England prediction below.
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Serbia vs England prediction: A tough night ahead for Tuchel
Key Stats
- Serbia are unbeaten in their last seven home matches, a run that includes games against Spain, Switzerland and Denmark.
- Serbia have kept a clean sheet in each of their last five home matches.
- England's attack is hardly firing, and they only scored twice against Andorra at the weekend.
Correct score prediction: Serbia 1-0 England
If there is one thing that we have learned from Thomas Tuchel's time in charge of England so far, it's that his teams aren't going to be expansive. Don't expect them to turn up in Serbia and play the hosts off the park as that almost certainly isn't going to be what happens.
Pre-game odds and win probability: The hosts start as big underdogs
- HOME: 10/3 (4.33) – 23.1%
- DRAW: 13/5 (3.60) – 27.8%
- AWAY: 4/5 (1.80) – 55.6%
*odds from Ladbrokes, subject to change
The Serbia vs England odds are a little surprising in that Serbia have been priced as long as 10/3 to pick up the three points on Tuesday night. You can't help but feel that whoever priced these odds for Ladbrokes didn't watch England's tepid performance against Andorra. The Three Lions have been given a 55.6% chance of winning on Tuesday.
You can find all our predictions for today's games on our football betting tips page.
Most recent H2Hs: Infrequent opponents
England have only ever faced Serbia once before, and that was in the group stages at the most recent European Championships. On that occasion, an early header from Jude Bellingham was enough to get England the all-important victory. Prior to Montenegro becoming independent in 2006, England beat Serbia and Montenegro in a friendly match in 2003.
Euro 2024 16/06/24
Serbia
England
Serbia preview: Fresh players to come in
Serbia took a calculated risk at the weekend by resting several important players for the match with Latvia to ensure they were 100% ready for the match with England. As a result, the likes of Aleksandr Mitrovic and Nikola Milenkovic are in line for a return to the starting XI on Tuesday night.
Predicted lineup: Petrovic (GK), Milenkovic, Erakovic, Pavlovic, Zivkovic, Gudelj, Maksimovic, Samardzic, Terzic, Vlahovic, Mitrovic
Last five matches
- Latvia 0-1 Serbia
- Serbia 3-0 Andorra
- Albania 0-0 Serbia
- Serbia 2-0 Austria
- Austria 1-1 Serbia
England preview: Rashford to drop out?
All of England's forwards should be slightly embarrassed by the fact that the Three Lions only managed to score twice against Andorra on Saturday, but it's Marcus Rashford who is the most likely to drop out. The Barcelona winger could come out for Anthony Gordon, while Eberechi Eze could also drop to the bench.
Predicted lineup: Pickford (GK), James, Guehi, Konsa, Lewis-Skelly, Rice, Anderson, Rogers, Madueke, Kane, Gordon
Last five matches
- England 2-0 Andorra
- England 1-3 Senegal
- Andorra 0-1 England
- England 3-0 Latvia
- England 2-0 Albania
Player to watch: Harry Kane
Not for the first time, there are some doubters around Harry Kane and whether his best years are behind him. While the England skipper has had two fantastic individual seasons in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, his form for England hasn't been as good as it was when he was playing in the Premier League. A goal in a big game such as this one would silence some doubters for the time being.