Action just moments away in Riga

As both teams head down the tunnel, England are one win away from joining the other 23 teams who have booked their place for the finals.

It is far from a full-house in Latvia for this one however.

Latvia have had a woeful qualifying campaign and it seems their fans have better options for things to do this evening.

Goals expected of front four

England have near-enough their first choice attacking line out this evening against Latvia.

With Saka, Rogers and Gordon providing the firepower for Kane who is leading the line.

It is a bit of no win situation for the Three Lions, a convincing rout is expected, anything less will seem like underperforming.

Boss has his say on trip

Speaking with ITV Sport, England’s manager gave his thoughts before kick-off in their match against Latvia:

Good pitch, good lights, we have a task we can fulfill. We can qualify tonight. Marc [Guehi] gets a rest as he has played the most minutes. We have some good options to use from the bench and we will use them. Hopefully everyone will want to push it over the line but, first of all, we are here to perform and deserve the win.

Thomas TuchelEngland

Gordon looking to cement spot

Many were surprised with Anthony Gordon getting the nod over Marcus Rashford this evening.

The Newcastle winger has not really been tearing it up in the opening seven games of the domestic season.

Rashford opted for pastures new in the transfer window but seems to have settled into life at Barcelona well.

Having been given a starting spot, it is now for Gordon to repay the faith the manager has shown in him this evening.

View from SunSport’s Dave Kidd in Riga

England will surely wrap up World Cup qualification with two games to spare with victory here at the Daugava Stadium tonight.

This place is hardly one of international football’s intimidating cauldrons. There are trees lining one side of a pitch surrounded by an athletics track and the locals aren’t exactly jumping after a 2-2 draw with mighty Andorra at the weekend. 

Can England go through an entire qualification without conceding a single goal? It would be a shock if they didn’t record a sixth straight competitive clean sheet against the nation ranked 137th in the world. 

Pickford setting new records

Jordan Pickford has not conceded a single goal in qualifying between the sticks for England.

Many have started asking the question whether he ranks as one of the best keepers to don the Three Lions’ shirt.

In darts Phil Taylor once said ‘trebles for show, doubles for dough’ and it bares similar relevance to football.

Winning trophies is the main goal, after all, nobody can reel off a list of runners-up from major tournaments.

With that in mind, Pickford needs to focus on the summer and with his teammates’ help, try and bring the trophy home.

That should be the mark of who is a great goalkeeper, providing a solid foundation for his country to do the unthinkable and win the 2026 World Cup.

Then, and maybe only then, can the Everton stopper regard himself as number one.

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