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Tuesday’s Baltic hosts only conceded one goal in each of their previous three World Cup qualifiers ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Andorra, although they did lose 3-0 to England at Wembley immediately prior to this series of fixtures.
Latvia's hopes of qualification aren’t entirely extinguished, but their chances of securing a play-off place are extremely remote. The ‘Wolves’ have only advanced to a major international competition on one previous occasion, securing a place at Portgual's Euro 2004 following an unexpectedly strong qualification campaign.
Meanwhile, England are hoping to appear at a seventh consecutive World Cup, having last failed to qualify for FIFA’s marquee tournament in 1994. Thomas Tuchel’s men will hope to preserve their 100% record on Tuesday evening, after impressively winning all five of their opening group games. Convincing victories over Albania and Latvia on home soil preceded a couple of tepid performances against Andorra, but the Three Lions nevertheless headed into last month’s all-important clash with Serbia on maximum points. An emphatic 5-0 win in Belgrade then followed, all but confirming a play-off berth.
The Serbians must defeat both Albania and Andorra during the current international window to prevent England from qualifying automatically with a victory of their own, but are fancied to scoop the full six points they require.
Tuesday’s keenly anticipated clash will be shown live on both ITV and STV, while online viewers can stream the match via ITVX and STV Player. Kick-off in Riga is scheduled for 19:45 (BST), with television coverage commencing 45 minutes prior.
Latvia v England: Key information
Date: Tuesday, October 14th
Kick-off time: 19:45 (BST)
Venue: Daugava Stadium, Riga
TV Channels/Live stream: ITV1 and STV (TV), ITVX and STV Player (stream online)
Odds: Latvia: 40/1 Draw: 1/1 England: 1/20
Odds provided by bet365
Latvia v England team news
Although England are weakened by an extensive list of injuries, the Latvians are almost at full strength. A handful of players are currently walking the suspension tightrope after picking up yellow cards in recent fixtures.
Latvia team news
Latvia boss Paolo Nicolato is without influential skipper Kristers Tobers, who sustained a serious knee injury during Aberdeen’s 2-0 loss to Motherwell at the end of September. The imposing Dons defender had only just returned following a four-month spell on the sidelines, but now will miss a significant chunk of the season.
Despite Tobers’ absence, the Italian tactician is set to once again deploy five men at the back, having only deviated from this defensive set-up for Latvia’s meetings with Andorra. Dmitrijs Zelenkovs and Lūkass Vapne will partner one another in central midfield, with the latter operating in a slightly deeper role.
After firing home the winner midway through the second half of March’s narrow victory over Andorra, Dario Šits - who recently joined Atlético Madrid’s reserve side on a season-long loan from Serie A strugglers Parma - is expected to lead the line.
Latvia predicted line-up v England (5-4-1)
Coach: Paolo Nicolato
Krišjānis Zviedris GK), Raivis Jurkovskis, Deniss Meļņiks, Antonijs Černomordijs, Daniels Balodis,
Andrejs Cigaņiks, Renārs Varslavāns, Dmitrijs Zelenkovs, Lūkass Vapne, Eduards Dašķevičs, Dario Šits
England team news
Eager to preserve England’s current momentum, Thomas Tuchel named a strong side for Thursday’s friendly contest with Wales. He also remained loyal to the squad that garnered two positive results during September’s international break, resulting in several notable omissions.
Jude Bellingham is still missing from the England camp despite making his first start of the season in last month’s goal-laden Madrid derby, having undergone surgery for a persistent shoulder issue during the summer. Fellow attacking midfielder Phil Foden was also overlooked following some challenges with his form and fitness, but the Manchester City star appears to have turned a corner in recent weeks. Although Jack Grealish and Adam Wharton have both made positive starts to the new campaign for their respective club sides, neither received a call-up on this occasion.
Chelsea captain Reece James, Newcastle United’s Tino Livramento, and Arsenal winger Noni Madueke are all sidelined after recently picking up injuries, while Cole Palmer and Trent Alexander-Arnold remain sidelined with groin and hamstring problems respectively. An international debut could potentially be handed to Nico O’Reilly, who was drafted in after James announced his withdrawal last Monday. However, with Ezri Konsa featuring on the right-hand side of a back four against Wales and Myles Lewis-Skelly raring to go, the 20-year-old full-back may have to wait a little longer for his first cap.
Bukayo Saka made a sensational return to the England fold on Thursday night, having missed September’s fixtures through injury. The live-wire winger netted his country’s third goal in an opening 20-minute blitz, as the hosts put Wales to the sword early on. Ollie Watkins, who netted nine minutes prior to Saka, was forced off at the break after a nasty goalmouth collision towards the end of the first half. Fortunately, it appears talismanic striker Harry Kane will be fit enough to replace Watkins in Tuchel’s starting XI, having shrugged off a minor ankle issue.
England predicted line-up v Latvia (4-2-3-1)
Coach: Thomas Tuchel
Jordan Pickford (GK), Ezri Konsa, John Stones, Marc Guéhi, Myles Lewis-Skelly, Elliot Anderson,
Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Morgan Rogers, Anthony Gordon, Harry Kane
Where to watch on TV or live stream?
Following the renewal of their long-term deal with the FA, ITV hold exclusive broadcasting rights for every England friendly, Nations League clash, and major tournament qualifier. This current agreement concludes in June 2028, the same month England, Scotland, Wales, and the Republic of Ireland host the next instalment of the European Championships.
Mark Pougatch will be joined by duo Ian Wright and Roy Keane in the studio, with a commentary team of Sam Matterface and Lee Dixon describing events at Riga’s Daugava Stadium. The match will also be available in Scotland on STV, ITV’s sister network.
All of the action will also be shown on streaming platforms ITVX and STV player, with extended highlights and a full match replay available following the end of the 90 minutes.
Head-to-head record
March’s meeting at Wembley was the only previous occasion these two sides have clashed, having never been drawn into the same qualification group until last year.
It proved to be a rather one-sided encounter, with England running out comfortable 3-0 winners. Reece James broke the deadlock with a sublimely taken free-kick, before Harry Kane tapped home to double the Three Lions’ lead midway through the second half. Eight minutes later, former Crystal Palace playmaker Eberechi Eze delivered a final solo goal to thwart any hopes of a miraculous Latvian comeback.
With Latvia languishing in UEFA Nations League C and unlikely to qualify for a major tournament any time soon, Tuesday’s tie in Riga may be the last time England face this opponent for a considerable period.
Odds for Latvia v England
Unsurprisingly, the bookies have tipped England to convincingly beat the hosts. The odds paint a depressing picture for Latvia, who have been priced at a gigantic 40/1 to overcome the Group K leaders on Tuesday evening.
Backing England to win by a healthy margin of victory may provide a little extra value, as, in fairness to the oddsmakers, it’s highly unlikely that Latvia will take a share of the spoils. Leading sportsbook bet365 are offering 7/5 odds on England with a -3 handicap, which we think will tempt plenty of punters.
Match Result odds
The odds, correct at the time of publication, are subject to change. All odds provided by bet365