Albania vs England Prediction 17 November 2025

🔊 Can England achieve the historic feat of not conceding a single goal throughout the World Cup 2026 qualifiers? The Three Lions are on an impeccable run with seven clean-sheet victories and have already secured their direct ticket to the World Cup. In their final qualifying match, they travel to Tirana to face Albania, who have secured a spot in the spring playoffs. Will both teams find enough motivation to deliver an exciting match for the fans? Or will it end in yet another pragmatic triumph for the English? Our editorial team offers insights into these questions in our prediction.

Head-to-Head

📊 The national teams are set to face each other for the second time in the current qualifiers and for the fourth time overall. Previously, they clashed twice during the 2022 World Cup qualifiers. All three encounters ended with England securing clean-sheet victories. The aggregate score stands at 9-0 in favor of England.

Albania Team Overview

The "Eagles" are on the brink of making history by qualifying for the World Cup for the first time. They've already taken the first step, securing enough points in Group K to guarantee a spot in the spring playoff round, ahead of Serbia in third place. Albania's style may not be flashy, but it's consistent. Their last three matches have all ended with identical 1-0 victories. The only setback in their qualifying campaign was a defeat to England back in March 2025 (0-2).

Currently, Albania are riding a three-match winning streak, though none of these victories came easily for the "Red and Blacks." The decisive moment was their recent triumph over Andorra away from home (1-0). The "Eagles" dominated throughout, boasting 66% possession. However, they only managed to break down the Pyrenean side's low block in the 67th minute. Over the course of the match, the Albanians took 12 shots with a total expected goals (xG) value of 0.89.

England Team Overview

It's not accurate to say that the English are steamrolling their opponents in the current qualifiers. However, they are on the verge of matching their Euro 2016 qualifying record, where they secured maximum points. Another historic milestone looms on the horizon. Thomas Tuchel's squad could go through eight matches without conceding a single goal. Currently, the "Lions" boast a goal difference of +20.

In the November qualifying cycle, England have already faced Serbia in London. The match script didn't differ much from previous encounters: the "Lions" controlled 70% of possession and had more than twice as many shots (19 to 7). Nevertheless, even with such modest figures, the visitors came close to finally breaching Jordan Pickford's net. Over 90 minutes, the Serbians recorded 0.83 xG – the highest expected goals value England have allowed any Group K opponent throughout the qualifiers.

Latest news

Albania

❌ The Albanian national team heads into their final qualifying match with a full-strength squad, but there are some concerns. In their last two games against Serbia and Andorra, key players picked up yellow cards: defenders Mario Mitaj and Arlind Ajeti, midfielders Ylian Shehu and Nedim Bajrami, as well as forward Rey Manaj. Another booking for any of them could jeopardize their chances of contributing to the team in the spring qualification playoffs.

England

🎤 England's head coach commented on the victory over Serbia in the first match of the November World Cup qualifying cycle. "It was a tough match. I really liked the first half. After the break, our pressing wasn't as effective. Sometimes the opponent transitioned from deep defense into counterattacks. Our back four had to work hard to keep a clean sheet. It's not always easy, but all is well," said Thomas Tuchel.

❌ Four players missed out on England's squad for the November World Cup 2026 qualifiers: Noni Madueke, Marc Guehi, Anthony Gordon, and Cole Palmer. Despite their high profiles, none of these players can be considered key members of the national team. Only Guehi and Madueke have accumulated 256 minutes each, spread over three appearances.

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

🟨 Referee and Yellow Cards

The main referee for the match is Marco Guida from Italy. Over his last 20 Serie A matches, he averages 4.2 yellow cards per game. Matches involving Albania tend to see fewer cautions than those with England: 3.8 compared to 2 over five games. Both national teams have already secured their tournament objectives. For the "red and blacks," any yellow card could be pivotal ahead of the spring playoff qualifiers. We anticipate that both sides will aim to minimize rough play in their head-to-head encounter. Our prediction: total yellow cards under 3.5.

⚽ Goal Prediction

Both teams rely on pragmatic football to achieve results. This is especially true for Albania, who have scored just seven goals in their seven qualifying matches. England, as we recall, have completed all their qualifiers with clean sheet victories. While tournament objectives are settled, finishing the qualifiers without conceding remains a worthy goal. Moreover, in their last three head-to-head clashes, the "Eagles" have failed to breach Jordan Pickford's net. Editorial choice: both teams to score (no).

🚩 Corner Prediction

England's dominance is particularly evident in their territorial advantage. In none of their qualification matches have the "Lions" conceded more than 30% possession to the opposition. This naturally impacts the number of set pieces near the opponent's goal. The British side has earned at least six corners in six consecutive games. We expect this trend to continue in Tirana. Therefore, we favor total England corners over 5.5.

With both national teams having their tournament objectives already secured, this upcoming match presents a good opportunity for both coaches to experiment with their lineups. This is especially true for Sylvinho, as a significant portion of his key players are one yellow card away from suspension, which could jeopardize their participation in the spring playoff qualification round.

It seems unlikely that either team would want to risk their line-ups for the sake of an entertaining match. One side is wary of potential injuries during a busy winter schedule in the English league, while the other is concerned about suspensions ahead of the crucial World Cup qualification phase. In this context, a straightforward England victory, perhaps by a scoreline of 2-0, appears to be the most logical outcome. For the main bet, we suggest opting for total goals under 2.5.