Our betting expert has three England v Albania tips for Friday’s 2026 World Cup qualifying match at Wembley Stadium (kick-off, 7.45pm). Scroll down for the analysis behind his selections.
England vs Albania Betting Tips
- England to win and under 2.5 goals @ 21/10 with bet365
- Declan Rice anytime goalscorer @ 7/1 with bet365
- Bet builder – Jude Bellingham 1+ shots on target, Kristjan Asllani to commit 1+ fouls & Ivan Balliu to commit 2+ fouls @ 7/1 with bet365
England to make winning start
Thomas Tuchel takes charge of England for the first time on Friday and it will be interesting to see what formation and tactics the former Chelsea boss uses for his international bow.
It remains unclear whether the 51-year-old will go with three centre-backs and play a 3-4-3 or 3-4-2-1, or whether he will go with a back four and adopt a 4-3-3 formation.
How quickly the players get used to Tuchel’s methods will also have a bearing on the outcome of this World Cup 2026 qualifier against Albania and a disjointed performance from the Three Lions could be on the cards.
England have the quality to beat Albania and the hosts should be able to pick up the win at Wembley, but goals could be at a premium and less than three strikes in the game seems plausible.
While Albania are in poor form, winning just one of their last five fixtures, under 2.5 goals has landed four times during that period and they will be doing everything they can to break up the play and not allow England to play free-flowing football.
England vs Albania tip 1: England to win and under 2.5 goals @ 21/10 with bet365
Rice to be on the money
With there still being questions over who Tuchel will go for in attack for England, one player that looks almost certain to start in midfield is Arsenal star Declan Rice.
The 26-year-old is a cornerstone for both club and country and it would be a huge surprise should Tuchel prefer anyone else in the squad to Rice, especially in the early days of his reign.
Rice has been a goal threat for England and he has netted in two of his last four appearances for the Three Lions, in the wins over the Republic of Ireland and Finland.
Standing at 6ft 2in, Rice is an aerial threat from set-pieces and it would not be surprising to see him find the back of the net against Albania.
England vs Albania tip 2: Declan Rice anytime goalscorer @ 7/1 with bet365
Bellingham can help land bet builder
Real Madrid ace Jude Bellingham should continue to play a prominent role for England and he looks capable of getting at least one shot on target, something he has managed to do in two of his last five La Liga matches.
Albania will likely adopt a defensive approach and there should be plenty of tackles flying in.
The referee could have a busy evening and one player in danger of being pulled up is Kristjan Asllani, who is in the engine room for the visitors and who has committed at least one foul in two of the last four games he has started for Inter Milan.
Another Albanian player who could attract the official’s gaze is Rayo Vallecano defender Ivan Balliu, who is set to start at right-back and who could have the likes of Anthony Gordon, Eberechi Eze, Jarrod Bowen and Morgan Rogers running at him.
England vs Albania tip 3: Bet builder – Jude Bellingham 1+ shots on target, Kristjan Asllani to commit 1+ fouls & Ivan Balliu to commit 2+ fouls @ 7/1 with bet365
