Latvia vs England: line-ups, stats and preview
Latvia vs England match preview
The equation for England is very simple: win in Latvia tomorrow and they will be guaranteed a place in the World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
Thomas Tuchel's side went into the current international break knowing there were different scenarios that could see them qualify, but Serbia's 1-0 defeat to Albania on Saturday made things simpler.
England top Group K after winning all five qualifiers without conceding a goal.
They are heading towards Riga on the back of a Wales suffered a 3-0 friendly defeat at Wembley on Thursday evening.
Everything is going well for Tuchel, who seems to have found a solid formula despite the absence of several high-profile players like Jude Bellingham, Phil Foden and Jack Grealish.
However, one man who looks indispensable for the Three Lions is Arsenal's Declan Rice.
Rice captained England against Wales in the absence of Harry Kane, who is expected to return from an ankle injury against Latvia.
The Arsenal midfielder is playing a slightly more advanced role for both club and country this season and is relishing the freedom afforded to him.
“I think now I’m more of a box-to-box number eight,” he said.
“The manager has adjusted my position a bit at Arsenal this year to give me a bit more freedom to go deeper but also to get into the box when I can and it's the same with Thomas. [Tuchel].
“It really suits me on the left side of midfield, being able to come back, being a versatile action midfielder, [which] that's what I want to be.
“I'm just enjoying my football and it's another season where we started strong with England and with an Arsenal team. Hopefully there will be positive things to come.”
Latvia are fourth in the group and, although they are all but out of the equation for a play-off place, they will see this match as a free throw against one of Europe's heavyweights.
They will, however, need to improve considerably on their performance, compared to the one which saw them draw 2-2 at home to minnows Andorra on Saturday.
Team news for Latvia vs England
Kane is expected to return to the team at the expense of Ollie Watkins, who was taken off at half-time against Wales after colliding with a post.
Tuchel has been keen to reward those who have performed well, so it is likely he will join most of the team that won last Thursday.
Latvia no longer has any new injury concerns after the weekend's match.
Predicted line-ups for Latvia vs England
Latvia: Zviedris; Savalnieks, Balodis, Cernomordijs, Jurkovskis, Ciganiks; Zelenkov, Varslavians; Ikaunieks; Gutkovskis, seated
England: Pickford; Konsa, Guehi, Stones, Spence; Anderson, Rice; Saka, Rogers, Gordon; Kane
How to watch Latvia vs England: TV and online streams
Latvia v England kicks off at 7.45pm tomorrow evening. It can be watched free-to-air on ITV1 and streamed on the ITVX app.
Statistics for Latvia vs England
- Thomas Tuchel is the third manager to win as many as six of his first seven matches in charge of England after Glenn Hoddle (1996-1997) and Sven-Goran Eriksson (2001 – both also six).
- This is only the second meeting between Latvia and England, with England winning the first 3-0 in March earlier this year.
- Latvia last avoided defeat against a top-10 nation in 2004, a 0-0 draw against Germany.
Prediction for Latvia vs England
It should be a routine evening for England, and one that will end in celebration with qualification assured.
The Three Lions should be too strong for Latvia and expect Tuchel's side to start quickly and put the game to bed before half-time.
Prediction: Latvia 0-4 England
2025-10-14 06:40:00
