Kosovo v England preview: Free Euro 2020 tips, predictions and best bets for Gareth Southgate's side in their final group qualifier

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It’s job done already for England, but that doesn’t mean they can’t put on a show in their final game against a lively Kosovo side who still have a play-off place to fight for.

As well as the occasion of the Balkan nation welcoming the mighty England and fighting for that play-off place, the Three Lions also have top seeding for the Euro 2020 draw to play for, so it’s anything but a dead rubber.

Gareth Southgate will make changes, a certain Raheem Sterling is due to return to the starting line-up, although he’ll have to go some to do better than Jadon Sancho, Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane did during the 7-0 win over Montenegro.

Kosovo may have failed to qualify automatically, but they’ve been entertaining and impressive during the campaign – and who could forget their gung-ho attitude and attacking spirit during their 5-3 defeat against England at Southampton.

Best bets:

Odds correct as of 0935 on 16/11/19

Kosovo v England Opta stats

  • This will be just the second ever meeting between England and Kosovo, with the only previous one coming earlier in this EURO 2020 qualifying campaign (a 5-3 win for England in September).
  • England have only lost one of their last 24 competitive away games (W16 D7) – a 1-2 defeat in Prague against Czech Republic last month. The Three Lions have conceded in just nine games in this run, keeping a clean sheet on 15 occasions.
  • Kosovo were beaten by Czech Republic in their most recent qualifier, while they haven’t lost consecutive games across all competitions since October 2017 (a run of nine straight defeats).
  • England have netted 13 goals since last conceding one themselves, courtesy of their 6-0 and 7-0 wins against Bulgaria and Montenegro. Only once previously have England managed to score six or more goals in three consecutive games, doing so back in June 1908.
  • England have scored 34 goals in just nine games in 2019 – only in 1908 (39) and 1966 (38) have they scored more in a calendar year.
  • Harry Kane’s hat-trick against Montenegro last time out moved him on to 31 goals for England, making him one of only six players to have netted more than 30 for the Three Lions (after Wayne Rooney, Bobby Charlton, Gary Lineker, Jimmy Greaves and Michael Owen).
  • England captain Harry Kane has scored 11 goals for his country in 2019 – only George Hilsdon in 1908 and Dixie Dean in 1927 (both 12) have scored more in a single year for the Three Lions.
  • Raheem Sterling and Harry Kane have combined on six England goals in EURO 2020 qualifying, with both players providing three assists for each other. In 477 minutes on the pitch together in this campaign, they have averaged a goal combination once every 80 minutes played.
  • Vedat Muriqi has been directly involved in six of Kosovo’s last 10 goals in this EURO 2020 qualifying campaign, scoring four goals and providing two assists.

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