Bukayo Saka and Marcus Rashford have been named on the bench for England's World Cup opener against Croatia tonight. The Three Lions open their Group L campaign against the side that beat them in the semi-final stages eight years ago.
Saka's Injury Concerns
Saka is England's first-choice right winger but club teammate Noni Madueke starts ahead of him this evening. The Arsenal star has been nursing an Achilles injury that saw him miss five games for the club in April, returning in time to play an important role in their Premier League title triumph.
Last week, Thomas Tuchel admitted Saka was still some way off from 'reaching 100 per cent', unable to train on consecutive days with England's medical staff carefully monitoring his situation. Saka this week insisted he feels fully fit, 'feeling better than I've felt in the last few months and I'm ready to go'. But Tuchel has made the decision to leave him on the bench tonight.
Rashford's Omission
Rashford has also been left out of the starting XI with Anthony Gordon starting ahead of him. After a fine season on loan at Barcelona, Rashford forced his way back into Tuchel's plans and started England's first warm-up match against New Zealand.
Gordon impressed in the game against Costa Rica with Tuchel valuing his intensity and positional discipline on the left. The newly-signed Barcelona star – a development that has placed Rashford's own club future in limbo – has done enough to get the nod with Rashford hoping there will be a role for him to play off the bench tonight.
Other Squad Changes
Tino Livramento is no longer with the squad after suffering an injury that ended his World Cup hopes this week. The Newcastle United star will have no role to play with Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah called into replace him on Tuesday.
