Thomas Tuchel "expects a win" as England return to World Cup qualifying action on Tuesday, with a trip to Riga to face Latvia next up. 

The Euro 2024 runners-up head into Tuesday's game knowing victory will seal them a spot at next year's World Cup finals in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

The Three Lions stuck three past Wales inside 20 first-half minutes, recording a 3-0 victory in the international friendly at Wembley last Thursday. 

Latvia will be the 72nd nation they have played an away match against. England have won their last three first-time away games against a nation (most recently a 4-0 win over Kosovo in 2019).

Since taking the helm, Tuchel has overseen five victories from his six games in charge and is on course to secure a flawless qualification record. 

"It's the same preparation. It's the same amount of meetings. It's the same set-up," Tuchel said during his pre-match press conference. "It's very important to prepare in the same manner as you would prepare any opponent.

"Of course, we are aware we are the favourites. We expect a win, but we need to be prepared of how to win, where to find the spaces. We demand the respects of the game.

"We expect a deep block in a 4-5-1, maybe a 3-5-2. We need to have answers to that. We don't want to get away with 80 or 90%. We want to put in a performance that we will be happy with.

"I expect a performance that makes us deserved winners. I know it's never guaranteed to win football matches. Being unlucky is a big part of the game. We expect a top performance."

Tuchel also confirmed that Harry Kane is fit to face Latvia, having missed that win over Wales on Thursday.

The Bayern Munich striker has 35 goal involvements in 36 away appearances for England (25 goals, 10 assists), most recently finding the back of the net in a 5-0 win in Serbia in September.

"Harry can play, he is fit. We did the right thing," Tuchel added. "I don't see why he should not be able to play 90 minutes. I don't see any obstacles there.

"Ollie [Watkins] left camp, unfortunately. It was too painful; he couldn't train. He is in treatment with his club and is trying to prepare for the weekend."

Jordan Pickford, meanwhile, is in line to make his 80th appearance for England on Tuesday and made history as the first England goalkeeper to record eight straight clean sheets for the Three Lions.

His shutout against Wales marked his 40th for the national team — a tally bettered only by Peter Shilton's 58.

"When you play for England, it's always an honour," Pickford said. "When called upon, I need to be ready; that is what I have trained all week for.

"It'll be a great achievement. It will be my fifth major tournament in a row.

"There's been a couple of games we haven't scored as much as everyone wanted. We have to get the job done. It will be great to get the job done; it's about getting momentum."