For their final Group L fixture against Panama this Saturday, England manager Thomas Tuchel has introduced five adjustments to the starting XI. Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford will lead the attack from the beginning, marking their first starts in this tournament after previous cameos off the bench.
Defensive changes see Nico O’Reilly reclaiming the left-back position, while Morgan Rogers and Jarell Quansah receive their maiden starts. Quansah fills the void left by Reece James, who is sidelined due to injury. Declan Rice has been rested for this match; the midfielder appeared to have calf concerns following the draw with Ghana and risks missing the upcoming round of 32 if he receives a yellow card.
Anthony Gordon, Djed Spence, and Noni Madueke move to the bench as England aims to secure the top spot in their group. While a knockout phase berth is already secured, the team must emulate or better Ghana’s performance against Croatia to finish first. Securing the group lead would earn the Three Lions a trip to Atlanta on July 1 to face a third-place finisher.
