CONFIRMED lineups for England v Albania

England begin their journey to reach the 2026 World Cup with a new manager at the helm following the appointment of former Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel. The 51-year-old has had several months to plan and prepare ahead of his first outing and a visit from Albania is a fairly welcoming start. 

Tuchel will be under no illusions that his new era will ultimately be judged by success in major tournaments as England seek to win their first silverware since 1966. "Exciting and a bit surreal," Tuchel said last Friday of becoming the first German to lead England. "It's a big honour and I'm very proud of it. I'm very well aware of it, I will make sure that I earn my rights to be in this place."

Tuchel's selection has somewhat been limited by injuries, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Bukayo Saka and Cole Palmer all ruled out from the squad. But there were also some surprise omissions, most notably Ollie Watkins and Conor Gallagher, while Jordan Henderson and Marcus Rashford returned after being sidelined in the latter stages of Southgate's era and under interim boss Lee Carsley.

There was also a first call-up for 32-year-old Newcastle defender Dan Burn, who scored in the Carabao Cup final win over Liverpool, after having never represented England at any level previously. Jarell Quansah and Myles Lewis-Skelly are at the other end of the age scale but both defenders are hoping to make senior debuts over the next two games.

As for Albania, head coach Sylvinho has been boosted by Armando Broja's recent return from injury, with the forward aiming to punish Everton teammate and Three Lions goalkeeper Jordan Pickford. Rangers attacking midfielder Nedim Bajrami is another player that England will have to keep a close eye on at Wembley. The 26-year-old, who scored against Italy at Euro 2024, has contributed to nine goals in Scotland this season.

England's confirmed starting XI (4-2-3-1): Pickford (GK); Walker, Burn, Konsa, Lewis-Skelly; Jones, Rice; Foden, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.

Albania's confirmed starting XI (4-3-3): Strakosha (GK); Balliu, Ajeti, Djimsiti, Aliji; Asllani, Ramadani, Laci; Asani, Uzuni, Bajrami.