England begin their World Cup knockout campaign this evening with a round-of-32 tie against DR Congo in Atlanta.
The Congolese are 41st in Fifa’s world rankings, 37 places below Thomas Tuchel’s men.
They reached the knockouts by finishing third in their group, below Portugal and Colombia, and progressed as one of the eight best third-placed sides.
England’s opponents have a number of players who have featured in the Premier League, including Newcastle striker Yoane Wissa, Sunderland midfielder Noah Sidiki and West Ham’s Aaron Wan-Bissaka.
The Three Lions, who topped their group, are without defenders Jarell Quansah and Reece James who are sidelined with injuries, but Declan Rice is set to return after recovering from a calf issue.
Victory tonight would set up a last-16 tie against Mexico in Mexico City following the co-hosts’ 2-0 victory over Ecuador on Tuesday.
Follow The i Paper’s live blog for the latest updates below.
The World Cup has exposed all of Thomas Tuchel’s flaws
Thomas Tuchel is perched upon a set of scales, the balance edging up or down depending on the competence of his England team.
Right now he appears no more secure in the minds of the supporters than his predecessor Gareth Southgate. The mess surrounding some of his selections, particularly at full-back, suggest he may have slipped below the levels of supporter confidence enjoyed by Southgate, which is a worry since he was appointed as the anti-Gareth.
The authority he brought to the piece, the notion of Tuchel as an elite technician, the authoritative coach shaped by superior continental ideas, survives by the narrowest of margins and could be erased completely should the Democratic Republic of Congo exhibit the same athleticism and vigour in the round of 32 as their African neighbours Ghana did in the group stage.
The African resurgence may have been facilitated to an extent by the bloated 48-team format. Nevertheless, nine teams progressing to the last 32 suggests the continent’s structural and organisational impediments are no longer holding back its talent. And most feel this tie is anything but straightforward.
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