England’s end to the group stage of the World Cup may not be as straightforward as expected, as they take on Panama tonight.
Although Thomas Tuchel’s side have already qualified for the knockout stage of the tournament, they have been hit by the news of an injury to Reece James, who will miss tonight’s Group L fixture.
In fact, the right back could be out of England’s last-32 game as well, but for Tuchel it is one problem at a time: first, he must decide how to proceed against Panama, who have nothing to lose in New Jersey after their elimination from the World Cup.
Djed Spence, Ezri Konsa, Jarell Quansah, and Trevoh Chalobah are all options to replace James here, while Declan Rice is expected to be fit in midfield after his own injury scare.
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England still have work to do to ensure the most favourable draw in the World Cup knockouts as they face Panama in their group-stage finale, even after their place in the next round was confirmed.
Thomas Tuchel’s side missed out on the chance to seal top spot in Group L a game early when they were held to a drab goalless draw against Ghana on Tuesday, failing to keep up momentum built from a fantastic opening display in the 4-2 over Croatia.
With England now tied with Ghana on four points at the group’s pinnacle, their clash with Panama has turned into a must-win match, though they enter the clash against the already-eliminated nation as heavy favourites and having already guaranteed progression to the next round.
Victory for the Three Lions will set up a round of 32 meeting with a third-place team from one of Group I/J/K, which could see them meet Senegal, who thrashed Iraq 5-0 to ensure their qualification for the knockout stages, or DR Congo if they beat Uzbekistan.
