England vs Andorra predictions, expected line-ups, how to watch and stats
England return to Villa Park this weekend with a perfect qualifying record but little to show for it in terms of excitement.
Thomas Tuchel has overseen three straight wins in Group K without conceding, yet the memories are of narrow margins and flat performances.
Even Andorra managed to drag England into a dull 1-0 in Barcelona, which is not the sort of result that stirs national pride.
It is fair to say things can only get better, and they probably will. So far, the Tuchel era has been exactly what you might expect: German. Devoid of personality, energy and enthusiasm, but annoyingly efficient and undeniably successful.
Andorra arrive ranked 174th in the world, goalless and pointless, so this should be the perfect opportunity for England to add a little style to their substance.
England team news
Thomas Tuchel is missing a host of familiar names for this international window.
Bukayo Saka, Cole Palmer, Jude Bellingham and Levi Colwill are all sidelined through injury, while Adam Wharton has withdrawn after suffering an adductor problem in Crystal Palace’s win over Aston Villa.
That absence has paved the way for Ruben Loftus-Cheek to earn a surprise recall. Jarell Quansah has also been added to the squad, with Tottenham full-back Djed Spence and Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson both hoping for their first senior caps.
Harry Kane is certain to lead the line once again. The England captain is set to win his 108th cap, moving level with Bobby Moore in the all-time list.
England expected line-up
(4-2-3-1) D. Henderson; Livramento, Stones, Burn, Spence; Rice, J. Henderson; Bowen, Rogers, Rashford; Kane
Andorra expected line-up
(5-4-1) Alvarez; Borra, Olivera, Llovera, San Nicolas, M. Garcia; Martinez, M. Vales, M. Rebes, Cervos; R. Fernandez
How to watch and listen
England vs Andorra will be shown live on ITV1, with coverage beginning at 4pm BST ahead of a 5pm kick-off at Villa Park.
Fans can also stream the game via ITVX, while BBC Radio 5 Live will provide live commentary.
Stats
England have won all seven meetings against Andorra without conceding, by an aggregate score of 26-0.
June’s 1-0 win in Barcelona was the first time England failed to score at least two goals against Andorra.
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The Three Lions have won three out of three in Group K without conceding, beating Albania, Latvia and Andorra.
They have scored six goals from 39 shots in qualifying, underperforming their xG of 8.4.
Andorra have lost all four qualifiers so far, failing to score a single goal.
The visitors’ only win in their last 10 matches came against San Marino.
England are unbeaten in World Cup qualifiers since 2009 and last lost one at home 25 years ago.
Thomas Tuchel (England) quotes
On Trent Alexander-Arnold’s omission: “Trent has not been selected because at the moment Reece James is ahead in the pecking order.”
On playing Andorra after the Senegal defeat: “We are still experimenting with our selections to get a better idea of who will be on the plane bound for North America next summer. The performance against Andorra in Barcelona was not convincing and the Senegal game showed us we have work to do.”
On Djed Spence: “He had a very good end to the season with Tottenham and a very impressive start to the season. He was impressively good against Paris in the European Super Cup final. He came up against a lot of quality on his side, against a lot of speed and handled it impressively well and kept on going with Tottenham in the Premier League starts. He can play both sides, he plays very intense, he’s in shape and he deserved to be called up.”
On Elliot Anderson: “Elliot Anderson is very physical, a lot of volume, very precise, clean passing, so it’s a good package. Elliot was a key player in the tournament, pressed a lot in central midfield and a regular player for Nottingham Forest – they had a fantastic season. The end of the season, he had the title with the under-21s and the start to the season and he’s excited to come and join us and I hope he can make his mark. Tino Livramento is also with us based on these observations because they had a fantastic tournament.”
On Villa Park: “I love Villa Park. It’s a change to the routine to be at our home in Wembley but Villa Park is known to be one of the most emotional and loudest stadiums in the country, so I hope we can get this going.”
On the bigger picture: “We have a lot to improve. We have two qualifiers ahead, we want to win both and that’s what we’re going for. The competition is on. It’s up to the players. We have now the World Cup season and many, many teams in Europe, many competitions to play in, so it’s an exciting year to come. You feel the excitement, you feel the target for the players is, of course, to be in the World Cup squad and we have a lot of things to improve. We have to qualify – this is the 100 percent focus for us and that’s why we’ll do our very best to get the two victories under our belt.”
Referee stats
Mohammad Al Emara will take charge at Villa Park. The Finnish official has shown 826 yellow cards and 24 reds across 261 matches in his career.
That works out at an average of 3.16 yellow cards per game, with a reputation for keeping dismissals rare. His European assignments include fixtures in the Europa Conference League and UEFA Youth League.
This will be his first time overseeing England in a competitive match.
England vs Andorra predictions
England produced four expected goals and 20 shots in Barcelona yet scraped through 1-0. That sort of wastefulness rarely happens twice, and with Andorra likely to be pinned inside their own area, the chances will flow again at Villa Park.
Tuchel’s fringe players have plenty of motivation to make an impression, and this feels like the night his side finally cut loose.
A statement win is overdue. Expect England to push past the 20-shot mark, crack three xG once more and this time convert their pressure into a convincing margin.
With Kane hunting another milestone and others chasing a permanent place in Tuchel’s plans, five goals looks realistic.
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