England will face France in the third-place play-off of the World Cup on Saturday, with a 23:00 GMT kick-off, and manager Thomas Tuchel has made seven changes to the side that lost to Argentina in the semi-final. According to reports, both Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham will miss the match.
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice, who has been repeatedly mentioned in reports regarding injury concerns throughout the tournament, will captain the team. Morgan Rogers, heavily linked with a transfer to Chelsea in the current window, earns a starting position. Dan Burn, however, does not feature in the starting eleven.
The England lineup features a relatively attacking formation with Marcus Rashford, Morgan Rogers, Eberechi Eze, Bukayo Saka, and Ivan Toney all starting. Tuchel has also rotated the goalkeeping position, with Jordan Pickford replaced by Dean Henderson. A victory for England would represent their best World Cup finish since their triumph in 1966.
Should he score twice, Harry Kane has the opportunity to equal Kylian Mbappé as the tournament’s leading goalscorer. The starting eleven confirms Henderson in goal, with a back four of Quansah, Konsa, Guéhi, and Spence. Rice will anchor the midfield, supported by Saka, Eze, Rogers, and Rashford, with Toney leading the attack. The team selection suggests a focus on attacking intent, despite the less significant stakes of a third-place play-off.
This match marks England’s best World Cup performance in six decades, a notable achievement despite falling short of the final. The game against France is also the highest-scoring encounter of the tournament so far, indicating a potentially open and entertaining contest.
