Albania vs England LIVE: Stream FREE, TV channel, team news, kick-off time – Luke Shaw STARTS World Cup 2022 qualifier

ALBANIA 0-0 ENGLAND

6. A couple of players have lost their footing early on, while passes have gone astray too. The pitch has come in for some criticism ahead of today’s fixture, and looks as though it will be a factor.

Still, it’s the same for both sides, etc, etc

ALBANIA 0-0 ENGLAND

5. A positive run from Sterling off the right draws three Albania defenders out of position, but his pass to Phillips is short of its target, and the opportunity of an opening evaporates.

ALBANIA 0-0 ENGLAND

3. Good pressure from Sterling forces Djimsiti into punting the ball out of play.

It’s a high-pressing possession game from the Three Lions in these early stages.

ALBANIA 0-0 ENGLAND

2. Shaw is looking to make up for lost time, and goes for an early surge with the ball down the left.

The Manchester United man gets the better of two players before being cut off by Ismajli.

ALBANIA 0-0 ENGLAND

1. Both teams take the knee, and then it’s England – in all white – that get the action underway.

Albania are in their red shits and black shorts, the referee is Orel Grinfeeld from Israel.

PEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP!
HERE WE GO!

TRENT WITH BEST WISHES

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold may be out of form and out of favour as far as England are concerned, but he’s still fully behind the Three Lions.

HERE COME THE TEAMS!

Etrit Berisha and Harry Kane lead their teams out in Tirana, and line-up on the pitch for the national anthems.

SOUTHGATE SETS HIS STALL OUT

England coach Gareth Southgate has been speaking ahead of kick-off, and has expressed what he hopes to see from the team he’s selected this evening.

We’ve got a team where our defenders can play and build a game well, and we have forwards who can finish well. But in actual fact, the key is that our defenders defend extremely well and show resilience, and our forwards defend from the front. I think we have the capabilities to do that with this team. [Albania] are well coached by a very experienced Italian. It’s a really good test for us, and if we want to be a top team, we need to come to places like this and dictate the game, and withstand everything that’s thrown at us.

Gareth SouthgateITV

KANE AND ABLE

With 12 goals, Harry Kane was the top scorer in the last set of qualifiers for a major tournament, the yet-to-take-place Euro 2020, and will now be targeting another glut as the Three Lions embark on the road to Qatar 2022.

In the process of firing his country to finals, the striker has scored in each of his last seven away qualifying matches, the longest ever run by an England player.

Kane has also scored at 16 different stadiums as an England player with only Tom Finney (17), Michael Owen (25) and Wayne Rooney (27) have scored a goal at more different venues for England.

A SHAW THING

Luke Shaw has been Manchester United’s standout performer in 2021, and his recall to the international stage is just reward.

Today he starts his first England game in two and a half years.

IT WAS TWENTY YEARS AGO TODAY…

…that Sven-Goran Eriksson sent his team to play.

On this day in 2001, England beat Albania 3-1 in Tirana in a World Cup qualifier that left the Three Lions in pole position in Group 9, ahead of Germany on goal difference with two games to play.

Following a drab first hour, Michael Owen opened the scoring in the 73rd minute before Paul Scholes sealed victory with five minutes to go. Although Altin Rraklli pulled one back for the home side in injury time, there was still time for Andy Cole to score his first international goal – at the 13th time of asking.

It was a game also notable for Ashley Cole’s first of 107 caps, and England haven’t returned to Albania until today.

THREE LIONS GOAL HUNGRY

You can only beat what’s in front of you, but England have done just that in their recent qualifying games for major tournaments – and have done so in style.

POPE KEEPING IT CLEAN

Nick Pope has got the nod once again to start in Albania, and the Burnley goalkeeper is 90 minutes away from making history on the international stage.

Pope hasn’t conceded a goal in any of his five appearances for his country so far, and, having become only the second England stopper to do so after Chris Woods, he could today become the first to keep clean sheets in each of his first six international matches.

ENGLAND SUBSTITUTES

13 Henderson, 22 Johnstone, 12 Trippier, 14 Lingard, 15 Coady, 16 James, 17 Ward-Prowse, 18 Calvert-Lewin, 19 Mings, 20 Chilwell, 21 Watkins, 23 Bellingham

ENGLAND XI

Gareth Southgate makes six changes to the side that started against San Marino on Thursday, three of which come in his back four. Kyle Walker and Luke Shaw are the full-backs in place of Chelsea pair Reece James and Ben Chilwell while it’s Harry Maguire who partners John Stones in the centre instead of Conor Coady. In midfield, Declan Rice gets the nod over James Ward-Prowse while Phil Foden and captain Harry Kane replace Jesse Lingard and Dominic Calvert-Lewin up front. It’s a 4-2-3-1 formation for Southgate with Kane leading the line.

1 Pope; 2 Walker, 6 Maguire, 5 Stones, 3 Shaw; 4 Rice, 8 Phillips; 10 Sterling, 11 Mount, 7 Foden; 9 Kane

ALBANIA SUBSTITUTES

12 Selmani, 23 Strakosha, 3 Lenjani, 8 Gjasula, 9 Memushaj, 10 Manaj, 13 AJeti, 15 Hoxhallari, 19 Doka, 20 Ramadani, 21 Kallaku, 22 Kamberi

ALBANIA XI

Edoardo Reja makes five changes to the team that beat Andorra as he switches from a 3-5-2 to a 3-4-3. Hysen Memolla comes in on the left in place of Thursday’s goalscorer Ermir Lenjani while Freddie Veseli replaces the injured Marash Kumbulla. Qazim Laci starts in midfield over Klaus Gjasula with Ledian Memushaj and Rey Manaj also dropping to the bench; Myrto Uzuni and Armando Broja start in advanced positions.

1 Berisha; 18 Ismajli, 6 Djimsiti, 5 Veseli; 4 Hysaj, 7 Bare, 14 Laci, 2 Memolla; 17 Broja, 16 Cikalleshi, 11 Uzuni

THE TEAMSHEETS ARE IN!

GOOD AFTERNOON FROM TIRANA

Welcome to our live coverage of the World Cup qualifier between Albania and England.

After the challenge of San Marino, it’s the Albanians next for the Three Lions in Group I – otherwise known as ‘The Group of Life.’

Albania, of course, will provide a much sterner test, having evolved into a perfectly competent football nation over the past 25 years.

And Edoardo Reja’s team’s arguably had the more impressive result with their 1-0 victory in Andorra last time out, and have now won their last four games on the international stage.

However, the knee injury sustained to Roma centre-back Marash Kumbulla on Thursday is a huge blow to the Eagles’ hopes of avoiding defeat against England for the first time.

Meanwhile, Gareth Southgate is expected to make changes to his side with three games now scheduled for each country over these international breaks.

However, Nick Pope will remain in goal in the continued absence of the injured Jordan Pickford, and could become the first England keeper in history to keep clean sheets in each of his first six matches for his country.

At the other end of the pitch, Harry Kane is in line for a recall. The England captain has scored in his last seven qualifiers away from home, the longest ever such run by a Three Lions player.

We’ll have confirmation of today’s two teams shortly with the action due underway at the Air Albania Stadium at 5pm.