Thomas Tuchel has one final chance to finalise his World Cup preparations when England face Costa Rica in Orlando on Wednesday evening – but the German coach must decide whether to risk his star players or protect them for the tournament opener against Croatia.
England squeezed past New Zealand in Tampa before heading to Orlando for their first meeting with Costa Rica since a 2-0 win at Elland Road in 2018. Tuchel could field his strongest side to nail down tactics, but that risks injuries and fatigue. Alternatively, he might mix up the team as he did against New Zealand, giving every player minutes on the pitch.
“England face Costa Rica in final World Cup warm-up as pundits back France and Spain to win the tournament.”
The fitness of Harry Kane is a particular concern. England’s chances of lifting the World Cup “would drop dramatically” if the Bayern Munich forward picks up an injury, according to the Mirror. A cameo off the bench might be the safest option.
A win would give momentum; a defeat could dent confidence. But the result itself will have no bearing on England's chances of glory, the Mirror notes.
Meanwhile, BBC Sport pundits have made their predictions for the tournament, which starts at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium on Thursday and concludes at MetLife Stadium near New York City on 19 July. Forty-eight teams will contest 104 matches across three countries over 39 days, with Canada, Mexico and the United States co-hosting and Argentina defending the trophy.
Alan Shearer picked France “only if there is no in-house fighting”, citing the quality in forward positions. Danny Murphy said it was “hard to look past France with the firepower they have”. Former France striker Olivier Giroud called France and Spain the two strongest teams, adding: “I obviously hope France will win.”
Wayne Rooney predicted an England-Spain final and said “hopefully England will win it”. Thomas Frank believes England will win, describing them and Brazil as the main contenders. Micah Richards backed Spain, noting that “how teams deal with the humidity is going to play a big part”. Steph Houghton said France have “so much quality right through their team”, while Gael Clichy named France, Spain and England as the three to do well.
Away from the pitch, Scotland will have a one-off Bank Holiday during the group stages – but it remains unclear whether England will get one if they win the World Cup.