Albania v England: 16/5 Three Lions may roar late | OneFootball

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England can complete a perfect qualifying campaign but may have to be patient against an improved Albania, says Dave Tindall....

Albania v EnglandSunday 16 November, 17:00Live on ITVX, ITV 1, STV & UTV

England seeking eight out of eight

When the draw for World Cup qualifying was made, it looked as if England didn't have an awful lot to beat in Group K.

And so it's proved. Thomas Tuchel's men got the job done after six games, made it seven wins out of seven by beating Serbia on Thursday night and now have the opportunity to reach next summer's World Cup finals with a perfect record of eight wins.

To add another layer of dominance, they've not even conceded a goal on the way. England's For and Against record in the table shows scored 20 and conceded none.

The main narrative around England right now is something of a 'first world' problem: how best to fit all this attacking talent into the same starting XI.

To his credit, Tuchel says he won't attempt to, saying balance and team beats individuals, however big their names. He put his money where is mouth his by leaving Jude Bellingham on the bench in Thursday's win over Serbia, going as far as saying that he wouldn't attempt to play Bellingham, Phil Foden and Harry Kane in the same team.

Albania have made history

Albania's 1-0 win in Andorra wouldn't have registered much around Europe on Thursday night. But it was significant.

That victory took them to 14 points in the group, four ahead of Serbia with a game to play. And that meant, for the first time in their history, the Albanians had qualified for a World Cup play-off.

That tally of two points per game from their seven matches is impressive, especially when no-one had them as the second best team in the group when the draw was made.

But, managed by former Arsenal defender Sylvinho, they've gone through the campaign unbeaten at home and their one defeat coming against England at Wembley. Even then they emerged with credit, only losing 2-0 via an own goal and a second-half effort from Declan Rice.

They host England on the back of a six-game winning run that has lifted them to 61st in the FIFA World Rankings, above both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.

England have dominated but Albania deserve respect

Head-to-heads between Albania and England suggest this will be a stroll but, as noted, this iteration of Albania is far, far stronger than their past teams.

England have won all six previous matches and each by at least a two-goal margin. Albania have managed just a single goal against the Three Lions and that was back in 2001.

For this one in Tirana, Albania are given a certain amount of respect with their quote of 15/2. England are 1/3, with The Draw 15/4.

England -1, which would be landing for a seventh straight time against Albania, is [Evs].

There's an argument that Tuchel's side could be vulnerable against a host side in celebratory mood. Will England's players, to some extent, be thinking it's job done and have half an eye on staying fit for their returns to club action?

Against such an idea is the carrot of completing a 100% qualifying campaign without conceding, plus the little matter of the ruthless Tuchel being more than willing to drop anyone who isn't quite on it.

Given that the hosts are strong in defence, you feel that the only realistic shock scoreline would be 1-0 rather than say 2-1 or anything else. That 1-0 correct scoreline for Albania is 16/1 if you fancy it.

Unders worth a go

Six of Albania's seven World Cup qualifiers have featured fewer than three goals so it's interesting to note that Unders here is the underdog.

It's a little less clear-cut with England but four of their seven matches saw Unders land, including the first meeting with Albania.

21/20 definitely appeals.

Subs to make an impact again

The battle to try and win a place behind Harry Kane is intense and I like the idea of those who don't start here chomping at the bit before coming on and making a difference.

There are several ways to play that but let's take a fairly obvious one and back Draw/England on the Half Time/Full Time double result market at 16/5.

Albania will be a tough nut to crack but when legs tire, England's luxurious attacking options on the bench can exploit the extra spaces and get the Three Lions over the line.

In England's last three qualifiers, they've scored goals in minutes 90 (away to Serbia), 86 (away to Latvia) and 90 (home to Serbia) so they have form for striking late. That habit could help us land the bet.

Recommended bets

2pts - Under 2.5 Goals @ 21/20

1pt - Draw/England Half Time/Full Time result @ 16/5