Declan Rice has been relegated to the bench for England's final Group L encounter against Panama after sustaining a calf injury. The Arsenal midfielder was substituted in the 72nd minute during England's 4-2 victory over Croatia and played the full 90 minutes in the goalless draw with Ghana on Tuesday. Following that match, Rice was observed leaving the stadium with his left calf strapped, while he has also been managing a hamstring issue since December.
Tuchel explains cautious approach
Speaking before kick-off on Saturday night, England manager Thomas Tuchel revealed his cautious handling of Rice's playing time, citing a recent knock and the risk of suspension. 'I take care today of Declan's situation, he got a knock, he is ready to play but I would like to manage his minutes a little bit,' Tuchel told ITV. 'And he has a yellow card so I want to see how this match plays out – is it an intense match, are there a lot of duels, how is the referee with the yellow cards today. I need to get a feel for that and Declan knows that, that's why Jude goes in the No.8 position and Morgan is in the No.10.'
Confirmed line-ups
England: Jordan Pickford; Nico O'Reilly, Ezri Konsa, Marc Guehi, Jarell Quansah, Morgan Rogers, Elliot Anderson, Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford, Bukayo Saka. Panama: Orlando Mosquera, Fidel Escobar, Jose Cordoba, Andres Andrade, Amir Murillo, Jorge Gutierrez, Carlos Harvey, Cristian Martinez, Jose Luis Rodriguez, Edgar Yoel Barcenas, Tomas Rodriguez.
Five changes for England
Tuchel made five alterations to his starting lineup, with Rice, Anthony Gordon, Noni Madueke, and Djed Spence dropping to the bench, while Reece James is absent due to a hamstring injury. Jarell Quansah earns his first World Cup start at right-back, and Nico O'Reilly returns at left-back. In midfield, Morgan Rogers makes his first start, with Jude Bellingham moving to a deeper role in Rice's absence. Marcus Rashford replaces Gordon on the left wing, and Bukayo Saka is preferred to Madueke on the right. England have already secured qualification for the round of 32, regardless of the result against Panama.
