England ramp up their bid to end 60 years of hurt on the global stage as they begin their World Cup knockout-stage campaign against DR Congo in the round of 32.
The Three Lions topped Group L after underwhelming draw against Ghana between wins against Croatia and Panama, with Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham leading the charge by scoring five of the country’s six goals.
However, Tuchel is faced with a mounting injury crisis heading into the do-or-die knockouts, with Jarell Quansah joining Reece James and the already-departed Tino Livramento on the treatment table to leave the German manager struggling for options at right-back.
England know what awaits them if they beat DR Congo, who scraped through by finishing third in Group K, with a mammoth clash against co-hosts Mexico in the cauldron of the Estadio Azteca lined up after they beat Ecuador last night.
Follow all the latest build-up and action from England vs DR Congo in the World Cup round of 32 below:
How Jude Bellingham became England’s very un-English superstar
Either way, the squad chemistry is very different to Euro 2024, when there was a lot of commentary about how the then-21-year-old had been absorbing the 10-part Michael Jordan documentary The Last Dance.
Predicted line-ups
England XI: Pickford; Konsa, Stones, Guehi, O’Reilly; Rice, Anderson; Saka, Bellingham, Rashford; Kane.
DR Congo XI: Mpasi; Wan-Bissaka, Mbemba, Tuanzebe, Kapuadi, Masuaku; Mukau, Moutoussamy, Kayembe; Bakambu, Wissa.
Early DR Congo team news
DR Congo have no new injury concerns after their win over Uzbekistan last time out, so Sebastien Desabre will likely field familiar Premier League names including Aaron Wan-Bissaka, Axel Tuanzebe and Yoane Wissa.
Early England team news
Djed Spence could feature at right-back, while Ezri Konsa could move to right-back with John Stones coming in at centre-back. Declan Rice should return for the Three Lions, while Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford will hope to start after encouraging performances in the final group game.
Who will the winner face?
The winner will face Mexico, who beat Ecuador 2-0. That match will take place on Monday, 6 July (Sunday, 5 July local time) at the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City.
Chris Wilson was in the capital for Mexico’s impressive victory last night – an early warning sign for what may await for England?
Here’s his report:
Is England vs DR Congo on TV?
England’s last-32 tie against DR Congo kicks off at 5pm BST (12pm ET) on Wednesday, 1 July at the Atlanta Stadium.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the match on BBC One. It will also be streamed on BBC iPlayer.
Good morning
Hello there and welcome to The Independent’s live coverage of England’s knockout-stage opener against DR Congo in the World Cup round of 32.
We’ll bring you all the latest build-up and team news ahead of today’s earlier kick-off in the United States. Stay tuned!
