England's World Cup preparations hit by illness and injury
Declan Rice is in a race to be fit for England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway on Saturday after suffering from a sickness bug this week. The Arsenal midfielder is already playing through a hamstring injury which he has been forced to manage throughout the tournament.
Rice has started in all but one of England's games at the World Cup, while he was seen with an ice pack on his left hamstring during the closing stages of the 2-1 win against DR Congo in the last 32. England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed that Rice was playing with 'terrible pain' against DR Congo, but the 27-year-old was able to last a full 90 minutes in England's 3-2 victory over Mexico last Sunday.
Rice misses training due to sickness bug
According to the BBC, Rice missed two consecutive days of training with England this week due to a sickness bug. The report adds that the Arsenal midfielder had also been suffering with a lower back problem, which has been exacerbated by his illness in the build-up to the game against Norway.
England have taken measures to ensure that the sickness bug does not spread, with Rice isolated from the rest of the squad.
Norway dismiss illness concerns
Earlier this week, Norway also played down the severity of reports claiming that illness has spread through their squad ahead of the match against England, which kicks off at 10pm BST on Saturday. 'All players are healthy now,' Norway's team doctor, Ola Sand, told Nettavisen. 'Very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks.' When asked about the headlines in the English media about the alleged sickness bug spreading through Norway's squad, Sand replied: 'So great that they believe this. We are in control.'
Guehi also a doubt with hamstring injury
Marc Guehi is also a doubt for the game against Norway after he suffered a hamstring injury in the win over Mexico and will be assessed on Friday to determine whether he will be available this weekend. Guehi has played in four of England's five games at the World Cup this summer and was expected to keep his place in Tuchel's starting line-up.
Both Guehi and Rice are also among the England players who are running the risk of being suspended for the semi-final due to the yellow card rules at the World Cup. Players who receive two yellow cards across the last-32, last-16 and quarter-final games will serve an automatic one-match ban.
Yellow card concerns for England
Rice, Guehi and Nico O'Reilly were all given yellow cards in the 3-2 win against Mexico, meaning another yellow in the game against Norway will see them miss the World Cup semi-final, if England win on Saturday. Jude Bellingham is also at risk of a one-game suspension as he was given a yellow card in the win over DR Congo in the last-32.
England will be without Jarrell Quansah against Norway after he was given a two-game ban by FIFA for his red card against Mexico, while midfielder Jordan Henderson will miss the remainder of the tournament after he required surgery on a broken arm.
Positive news: Reece James returns
In more positive news for England, Reece James has returned to full training following his hamstring injury and is expected to be available against Norway.
