Anthony Gordon and Noni Madueke are in line to start for England in their World Cup opener against Croatia tonight. The Three Lions begin their campaign at the Dallas Stadium up against the side that sent them crashing out at the semi-final stage of the competition eight years ago.
Defensive Changes
Over the weekend, it was reported Marc Guehi is set to lose his place in the starting XI with Thomas Tuchel said to favour the physicality of Ezri Konsa and John Stones at the heart of defence. BBC Sport reported the Manchester City star, a mainstay in the team after forcing his way in at Euro 2024, will miss out despite Stones' lack of consistent first-team football last season, having not completed a Premier League match since August.
Attack and Midfield Decisions
Further up the pitch, Anthony Gordon is expected to get the nod ahead of Marcus Rashford on the left of attack. Each wide man started a game against New Zealand and Costa Rica in warm-up matches in Florida but Gordon's intensity and positional discipline has seen him win the race for that starting role, the Daily Mail report. Rashford will be expected to have some role to play off the bench with his individual moments of quality needed to finish games regarded as a key asset by the England boss.
Bukayo Saka is a major doubt ahead of kick-off with the Arsenal star struggling with an Achilles injury that saw him miss six games for his club in April. The Gunners star has not been able to train on consecutive days and while he played down the severity of the issue speaking to the media this week, his club teammate Noni Madueke could be preferred on the right.
Tuchel has also faced a dilemma over the no10 role in his team with Morgan Rogers emerging as a compelling option in World Cup qualifying. The Aston Villa star looked set to get the nod ahead of his old pal Jude Bellingham but the Real Madrid star now appears primed to keep his place in the team after some bright showings in warm-up games, winning praise from his manager for his off the ball work.
Full-Backs and Midfield
Reece James and Nico O'Reilly are expected to start in the full-back positions; an area of the pitch Tuchel is now a little light on after Tino Livramento withdrew from the squad due to injury. Trevoh Chalobah, called into replace the Newcastle United star, is not expected to have any role to play tonight. Declan Rice and Elliot Anderson will continue their partnership in the centre of midfield with Harry Kane leading the line.
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