England vs Serbia: Match preview, head-to-head, team news, key players

England host Serbia in their penultimate World Cup qualifying game at Wembley Stadium on Thursday evening.

They qualified for the tournament last month after thrashing Latvia 5-0 in a dominant display.

Serbia can no longer secure automatic qualification, but can reach the play-offs by winning their last two games.

Match preview

England have scored 18 goals without conceding. They are one of the three teams in the European qualifiers with a perfect defensive record.

Manager Thomas Tuchel has the opportunity to assess his players, as he has just one final camp before naming his squad for the finals.

Serbia were considered England’s most formidable opposition before the start of the qualifiers, but have been disappointing.

They have performed poorly at both ends of the pitch, netting seven goals and conceding the same number.

Their struggles culminated in the resignation of coach Dragan Stojkovic, who has since been replaced by Veljko Paunovic, the 2015 U20 World Cup-winning coach.

Head-to-head

England have won their two previous meetings with Serbia, scoring six goals and conceding none.

Team news

England will be without Newcastle United duo Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon, who have been replaced by Manchester City’s James Trafford and Chelsea’s Trevor Chalobah.

Crystal Palace captain Marc Guehi has reported for duty but is doubtful for this encounter.

Serbia will be without record top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Key players

England

Harry Kane: England’s top scorer in World Cup qualifying with five goals.

Elliot Anderson: Leads the squad in accurate passes, long balls, tackles and clearances per game.

Serbia

Dusan Vlahovic: Two goals in this qualifying series. Only Mitrovic boasts more goal involvements than him.

Filip Kostic: Leads the team in big chances created and key passes per game.

Stats from 11v11.com, transfermarkt.com & sofascore.com.