Tuchel makes thorny decision… surprises in expected England line-up to face Croatia

England are set to kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign today, Wednesday evening, against Croatia at the Dallas Stadium in the United States of America in the first round of the tournament’s Group Twelfth competition.

German Thomas Tuchel intends to coach EnglandCausing some surprises in the Three Lions line-up in the first match of the World Cup.

the newspaper quotes “subway“According to reports in the English press, they have confirmed that Tuchel prefers physicality at centre-back, so he will rely on the duo of John Stones and Ezri Konsai, excluding Mark Guehi, although he was excellent last season, whether with Crystal Palace or Manchester City.

The BBC reported that Stones would start despite not featuring regularly for Manchester City, having not finished a Premier League game since last August, unlike Gueye, who has been a mainstay at the Citizens.

In attack, Anthony Gordon is expected to start on the left side of the field at the expense of Marcus Rashford.

The flankers each started in the friendlies against New Zealand and Costa Rica in Florida, but Gordon’s enthusiasm and positional discipline saw him win the starting role, reports the Daily Mail.

Rashford is expected to play some role as a substitute, as the individual moments he needs to finish matches are key for the England manager.

On the right, Bukayo Saka is a major doubt ahead of kick-off as the Arsenal star picked up an injury which ruled him out of several of the Gunners’ matches last season.

The Arsenal star has been unable to train for days and although he played down the seriousness of the problem when speaking to the media this week, Tuchel may prefer team-mate Noni Madueke on the right.

As for the playmaking dilemma, Tuchel has made the difficult decision to include Jude Bellingham while Morgan Rodgers remains on the bench.

Rhys James and Nico O’Reilly are expected to start at fullback; Meanwhile, Declan Rice and Elliott Anderson will continue their partnership in midfield, with Harry Kane spearheading the attack and Jordan Pickford in defence.

The expected composition of the England team is as follows.

Goalkeeper: Pickford.

Defensive line: James, Konsa, Stones, O’Reilly.

Midfield: Rice, Anderson, Bellingham.

Offensive line: Gordon, Madueke, Kane.