England’s World Cup quarter-final hopes have been dealt a blow after defender Marc Guehi was diagnosed with a slight hamstring injury following the win over Mexico, leaving him in a race against time to face Norway. Manager Thomas Tuchel is unlikely to risk an unfit player against the formidable attack of Erling Haaland and co, while right-back Reece James is also pushing to prove his fitness after a hamstring issue – though a final decision on his inclusion would represent a significant risk.
There was better news for Tuchel, however, as Bukayo Saka declared himself fully recovered from Achilles trouble and ready to start against Norway. The boost comes alongside a setback for Jarell Quansah, who was handed a two-match suspension by FIFA – a decision that left Tuchel furious.
“England's Marc Guehi faces race against time with hamstring injury ahead of World Cup quarter-final against Norway.”
Meanwhile, Norway’s Haaland has taken aim at the use of VAR after France were awarded a penalty against Morocco, criticising the length of the delay before the spot-kick was taken. “Making a player wait over three minutes to take a penalty is far too long,” the striker wrote on social media.
France’s captain Kylian Mbappe gave his own side an injury scare when he was substituted late in that game with an ice pack on his ankle, but manager Didier Deschamps quickly played down concerns, confirming it was only a minor blow and that his star forward would be fine for the semi-finals – if France get there.
France face Morocco in the quarter-finals, and BBC Sport football expert Chris Sutton – who has backed France to win the tournament from the start – believes they will progress despite Morocco’s threat. “They were really poor in the first half against Canada in the last 16 and looked really lethargic,” he said. “Key forward Ismael Saibari’s injury is a blow too and I am not really sure if they can hurt France without him up front.” Sutton added that France’s depth, shown by Desire Doue coming off the bench to make a difference against Paraguay, gives them the edge: “Because of that – and with Saibari out – I am going for France to take this.”
AI, which has been competing with Sutton and BBC users in a predictions game, had previously been wrong about Brazil losing to Norway and the USA being eliminated by Belgium. AI’s response to Sutton’s criticism: “The aim isn’t to be surprising, Chris. The aim is to be right.”
No further changes can be made to squads for the remainder of the tournament, meaning England must face Norway without the suspended Quansah and possibly without Guehi and James. The high-stakes clash is part of a quarter-final line-up that also includes France against Morocco, with the winners advancing to the semi-finals.