13 November 2025
On 9 September, England demolished Serbia in their own backyard, winning 5-0 with Harry Kane, Morgan Rogers, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guéhi and Marcus Rashford all getting on the score sheet. Whilst England travelled home in high spirits, it was a night to forget for Serbia, whose FIFA World Cup qualification hopes became tainted.
Tonight, the already qualified England hosts the reverse fixture at Wembley Stadium, which is one of the most important nights for Serbia, who enter the game with the newly appointed Veljko Paunović. The Eagles will need to collect at least a point for the chances of qualifying to be on the cards.
Especially since Serbia’s historical continental rivals, Albania, are in second place in Group K, above the Eagles, with three points separating the two. Albania are also playing tonight against Andorra, where the most likely outcome will be a victory for Sylvinho’s side, so there is added pressure for Paunović.
But it won’t be easy, as the Three Lions manager, Thomas Tuchel, insists that there will be no experiments with the aim “to build and keep on going”, sending a huge warning out to Veljko Paunović, who has recently been sacked by Spanish club Real Oviedo after a poor start to the 2025/26 LaLiga season.
World Cup Qualifying Form (Last 5 Games):
England -
Serbia -
England enters this home game winning all six of their World Cup qualifying matches, of course, including their 5-0 thrashing against Serbia just over two months ago. What’s more impressive is that Tuchel’s side has not conceded a single goal in the qualifiers, with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford collecting six clean sheets.
But, when including the friendlies, England were stunned by Senegal, losing 3-1 at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground stadium. In fact, that has been Tuchel’s only defeat as England boss so far and the only instance his side conceded.
England has accumulated a fantastic yet expected 18 points out of a possible 18, with a total goal difference of also 18, funnily enough. Yes, that means the Three Lions have put the ball in the back of the net 18 times, with Bayern Munich striker Harry Kane scoring the most in this qualifying campaign for England, tallying six goals.
In England’s most recent fixture, the Three Lions dismantled Latvia 5-0 away from home in the capital, Riga, which booked their spot in the FIFA World Cup 2026, being the first European nation to do so.
As for the visitors, former manager Dragan Stojković was in charge of the Serbian side that lost 5-0 to England on 9 September, but he actually resigned in the following game against Albania after his side lost 1-0, tarnishing the Eagles’ hopes of qualifying for the World Cup.
Despite winning 3-1 against Andorra under interim coach Zoran mirković, it seems the Serbian FA did not feel that the Serbia U-21 manager was fit for the role permanently, appointing Paunović as head coach on 30 October.
Veljko Paunović is a familiar face inside the Serbian national team, having won the FIFA U-20 World Cup in 2015, but now, Paunović has made a huge step up and is set to lead the men’s Serbian national team in his first game as head coach of the Eagles against England, with his first task at hand being a crucial one.
Serbia has gained a total of 11 points in six qualifying games (W3, D1, L2), but they have really struggled against the two sitting above them in Group K. Having played Albania twice already, drawing 0-0 and losing 1-0, there is a chance for Paunović to make a huge statement in his opening game tonight to prove the fight for World Cup qualification is not over yet.
England (4-2-3-1): Pickford, James, Konsa, Burn, Spence, Anderson, Rice, Saka, Bellingham, Rashford, Kane
Serbia (4-2-3-1): Petrović, Mimović, Milenković, Pavlović, Terzić, Ilić, Lukić, Živković, Samardžić, Kostić, Vlahović
Thomas Tuchel has made it very clear about his brute demeanour in selecting his England squad, stating that consistency and game time are key factors following questions about Myles Lewis-Skelly’s drop from the camp.
Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Adam Wharton are deservedly back in the England team, with all three players in great form heading into this international break. Fans also see Jarrell Quansah and Nico O’Reilly selected again, and an exciting first-time call-up for the young Bournemouth midfielder, Alex Scott.
Injury problems have already occurred with Newcastle’s Nick Pope and Anthony Gordon needing to be replaced, so Tuchel brought in Manchester City’s James Trafford and Chelsea’s Trevor Chalobah. Additionally, Crystal Palace’s Marc Guéhi is being assessed due to a “heavy bone bruise” that has had the centre-back walking on crutches.
For Veljko Paunović, his first Serbia squad selection featured players who had been coached by him in the FIFA U-20 World Cup, such as Miloš Veljković, Marko Grujić and Andrija Živković.
What differs from previous Serbian sides, managed by Dragan Stojković, is the formation, as Paunović is known to use a four-man defence, especially in his recent managerial role at Real Oviedo, where he operated with either a 4-2-3-1, 4-3-3 or 4-4-2. Whereas Stojković set his sides up with a three-at-the-back system to ensure defensive security, accompanied by wing-backs and a solid, experienced midfield.
However, Paunović could mix things up with a 4-2-3-1 that brings a great chance for defensive stability, but much more attacking output through midfielder Samardžić and wingers, Andrija Živković and Filip Kostić.
Unfortunately, Serbia are without their all-time top goalscorer, Aleksander Mitrović, so Dušan Vlahović should lead the attacking line, up top for the Eagles, who will be looking to make a mark regarding rumours of a possible exit in the January transfer window.
This is a huge occasion for both managers; Thomas Tuchel will be wanting to keep up his side’s winning streak and goalless defensive record, but Paunović’s side needs to go all-out in this one, and a new manager bounce often provides for a strong test, possibly a shock.
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