Thomas Tuchel takes the lead tonight on his first English game, while the Three Lions kick off their qualifying top campaign from the World Cup.
The former Chelsea boss, which was confirmed as the permanent successor to Gareth Southgate in October, has already erected some eyebrows with his selection.
Jordan Henderson received a return to the fold, while the 32-year-old then deserved his first call-up.
Tuchel is determined to transform England into “The team to beat” prior to the World Cup 2026 and was therefore set to make some important tactical changes.
In the last episode of Sunssport's Tactics, our expert Dean Scoggins looks at what the German head coach could choose to do differently.
How will England be set up?
Tuchel is not just a three-at-the-back man. It is not just a formation with him.
It's about the players he has available.
At Dortmund he used four at the back and an adaptive setup in attack.
At PSG he started with a three-at-the-back, moved to a four-at-the-back and then went to a three-at-the-back.
He tried to develop a team around Neymar so that he could try to do something similar with the English team.
Then he used Wing -Backs with three at the back in Chelsea – he even won the Champions League with it.
But does England have the wingback to do that?
And then in Bayern Munich he went back to four at the back.
It is hard to predict what Tuchel could do, so we looked at some potential options …
Setting
Defensively there are some big question marks.
There are no John Stones in this team, not Harry Maguire, no real, natural left back.
MyLes Lewis-Skelly has been excellent for Arsenal, so we could see Kyle Walker playing in the right position and the teenager in the left position,
Lewis-Skelly would probably act as a reverse full-back-one role that has become common in the Premier League.
It would see the Arsenal star shift to midfield and form a back-through with potentially Walker, Ezri Konsa and Marc Guehi.
Then Burn could even get a chance in the middle.
Alternatively, Burn could play as a left back with Reece James Right-back.
James can then be the man who moves to midfield, leaving the Newcastle star in the back three.
However, the key for Tuchel is the best in his attacking players.
There are some other big question marks in the entire team.
Does Jude Bellingham play like the 10? Or does Phil Foden play like a 10 with Bellingham falls back like an eight with Declan Rice?
England will also be Saka without Bukayo for the next two games.
Jarrod Bowen could get on the right, with Marcus Rashford or Anthony Gordon on the left.
Tuchel loves players and gets the best out of those who are available to him.
That is why we could see a three-at-the-back on Friday and a four-a-the-back on Monday.
Tuchel will be looking for the two wing players to offer width, so that the No. 10 can continue with another midfielder.
This ensures a 3-2-5 formation in the future. With five players in the attacking third, more options will be available.
Wingers will therefore be able to exchange and come in to play Harry Kane, which is important for Tuchel.
Exciting football
With England there is no excuse.
The players are there to score many goals.
The best target score number nine in Europe, the best number eight in Europe in Bellingham. Tuchel can also get more out of Foden in a team in England.
If he is completely fit, Cole Palmer will also be there.
England fans must expect a much higher urgent competition than we saw under Southgate.
Who will be NO10?
The 10 position is what Tuchel looks at in his team and how he will get the best out of his number 10.
At Dortmund he had Ilkay Gundogan in that side – Tuchel got the best out of him.
At Bayern it was Jamal Musiala. At PSG it was Neymar.
With England it is Jude Bellingham.
Tuchel has to get the best from Bellingham. He is the Talisman.
England will get targets from Kane if they give him the ball, there are also many options in the wide areas.
But how do they get the best from the NO10 that plays from Kane?
In the past, under Southgate, that part of the field was too busy because the wing players were not wide enough and the defending players pushed too high.
Tuchel wants to keep the wing players wide to give the central attacking players – including two potential NO10S – more space.
The head coach has to get the best out of the first names on the team magazine, especially Bellingham.
Who will be apart from Kane, the attack?
Bowen, Gordon and Rashford all like to come in from their wings.
Tuchel was very successful with that kind of players in Borussia Dortmund, such as Henrikh Mkhitaryan on the wing next to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in the front.
Those players – together with people like Gundogan and Shinji Kagawa in midfield – regularly played, which benefited the team as a whole.
Tuchel wants his attacking stars between the positions to move, which could help to get the best out of people like Kane and Bellingham.
Which future stars could shine under Tuchel?
There is a feeling in the camp that the Under-21s are currently just as good as the first team.
Ethan Nwaneri has been a revelation at Arsenal in the absence of Saka, who is also not in the team because of injury.
Lewis-Skelly is in the team, but Adam Wharton likes to miss the hard time Tuchel on a Ball-Play midfielder connecting Play, which is not necessarily Rice's game.
Lewis Hall would also be a good option with left back for future luminaires.
The Newcastle Ace is excluded with a foot injury for the rest of this season.
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