England predicted line-up vs. Latvia: Watkins out as Kane faces fitness battle

England return to competitive action on Tuesday evening when they take on Latvia in Riga – knowing that victory will guarantee their qualification for the 2026 World Cup with two matches to spare.

Serbia’s surprise 1-0 defeat to Albania on Saturday – a result which cost Dragan Stojković his job as their head coach – means that three points would put the Three Lions three clear at the top of Group K with just two matches remaining.

Thomas Tuchel will, however, have to pick from a depleted pool of players with a number of England regulars unavailable, while there is a major question mark over the fitness of captain and record goalscorer Harry Kane, who missed the 3-0 friendly win over Wales last week.

We’ve got all of the latest England team news below along with our prediction for Tuchel’s starting XI for the game against Latvia.

Will Harry Kane play against Latvia?

Kane was unavailable for Thursday evening’s win over Wales thanks to a minor ankle injury – but Tuchel has told the media that he believes the 32-year-old will be available to play in Riga.

“[Kane] got a kick in his last match and it is too painful to kick the ball and too risky for him,” Tuchel explained ahead of the game at Wembley. "We give him the chance for it calm down, and we are convinced he will be ready for Latvia."

To make matters worse, it was reported on Monday morning that Kane’s back-up, Ollie Watkins, would return to Aston Villa after sustaining an injury - it is unclear how serious the issue is or whether it was a result of his collision with a goalpost against Wales, but he was replaced at half-time by Marcus Rashford. Rashford will start if Kane is unable to recover in time.

Other attacking players who are absent through injury include Cole Palmer, James Maddison and Noni Madueke, while Jude Bellingham, Jack Grealish and Phil Foden were all excluded from the initial squad. Bellingham has started just one game this season following a serious shoulder injury.

Who will play in defence for England?

Having put out an unexpectedly strong side for the game against Wales, which included players such as Jordan Pickford and Declan Rice who might otherwise have been rested for a non-competitive fixtures, Tuchel has given us a clear insight into his plans for the game against Latvia.

The big question marks are in defence, and whether John Stones and Djed Spence will retain their starting places ahead of the likes of Dan Burn, who has been a regular at centre-back since Tuchel took over, and Myles Lewis-Skelly, who made a strong case to become England’s first-choice left-back before losing his place as Arsenal’s starter.

With Reece James and Valentino Livramento both unavailable through injury, Ezri Konsa will likely continue on the right side of defence, reducing Tuchel’s options in the middle. Rice is expected to continue in central midfield alongside Elliot Anderson, while Nico O’Reilly could push for his Three Lions debut – although that is likely to come from the bench.

Predicted England starting line-up vs. Latvia: Pickford; Spence, Guéhi, Stones, Konsa; Rice, Anderson; Gordon, Rogers, Saka; Kane.