Harry Kane fires warning to England stars and wants to 'hurt' Serbia

Harry Kane has rallied England to 'stick together' and rise to the occasion in what is expected to be a hostile atmosphere in Belgrade. Tuesday, England face their sternest test under Thomas Tuchel's leadership as they go head-to-head with Serbia in a crucial World Cup qualifier.

The Rajko Mitic Stadium, notorious for being one of Europe's most daunting venues, could also expose the Three Lions to racial abuse. However, Kane has urged his team to see any adversity as an opportunity for character building - something that will ultimately make them stronger.

The England skipper recalled: "I've been to Serbia before, we played Red Star with Tottenham. It's a pretty hostile environment. Just the walk from the changing room to the pitch. It feels like a mile-long walk, there's a lot of fans, you hear a lot of noise, a lot of banging, so yeah, that was pretty hostile.

"But sometimes you come away, especially when you win those types of games, with an even better feeling than before. So hopefully we can do that here."

While Kane assures that England will respond appropriately if any racial abuse occurs, he is more focused on the match and seeing Tuchel's squad 'hurt' their hosts.

He understands that a victory would significantly advance the Three Lions' chances of securing a spot at next summer's World Cup in North America, warning his team-mates that a huge challenge lies ahead.

He added: "Serbia are a really good team, we saw that in the Euros (last summer), so it's a really good test. Hopefully we can show the best side of us, the best version of us, that's with the ball, without the ball.

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"However, it's ultimately about securing victory in the match. Should we triumph, we'll be extremely close to confirming our qualification. If we don't, it makes the next camp a lot trickier.

"We will try do what we can on the pitch. Every environment's different, of course there are protocols in place if anything like that happens (racist abuse), but, ultimately, we're focused on the match.

"We're focused on Serbia as a team and how we can hurt them. In terms of the games themselves, I enjoy away games, the toughness, the battle. Sometimes when you get through these types of games together, especially as a team, especially as a newish team, like we are, that's how you build experiences.

"That's how you build togetherness. Obviously the ideal situation is we want to have a comfortable game and win clearly but we know that's not always the case.

"So there might be times we have to stick together. There might be times we have to defend as a team, and ultimately find a way to win.

"When you do do that against these types of oppositions in these stadiums, I feel like that builds an extra layer of togetherness that you can't form without playing."

Kane has demanded England complete the task at hand - in an effort to help them confirm qualification as swiftly as possible. He further stated: "I know Serbia will be looking at this game as their opportunity to really try and take a step towards World Cup qualification.

"They know if we win, we're pretty much there. For me, I always like to try and take the opportunities as soon as they come.

"I don't like to wait around. We know the importance. We know what it means for the October and the November camps."