Thomas Tuchel faces multiple fitness issues as England face Democratic Republic of Congo at Atlanta Stadium on Wednesday in their World Cup Round of 32 match.
Manager Thomas Tuchel speaks in Atlanta ahead of England’s match against the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Manager Thomas Tuchel has hinted that Jarrell Quansah and Reece James are likely to play again for England at the World Cup if the Three Lions win against the Democratic Republic of Congo. Quansah twisted his ankle while starting at right back in New Jersey’s 2-0 win over Panama on Saturday.
Meanwhile, James missed the game against Ghana with a hamstring issue, and neither player practiced Tuesday afternoon at the team’s home base in Kansas City. “They’re getting closer and closer,” Tuchel said of the defensive duo.
“Jarrell is a little bit ahead of Reese. This race was also close to getting into the match roster. We need to make sure we get more matches and that’s our main focus so they’ll be ready to go right away.”
Jed Spence and Ezri Konsa are both pushing to start at right-back, but the latter would require the recall of John Stones, along with centre-back Marc Gehi. Tuchel also confirmed that Bukayo Saka is ready to play again after starting the first game of the competition against Panama.
Get the latest 2026 World Cup news in your inbox with our Make Football Great Again newsletter
The German manager also confirmed that a psychologist is accompanying the Three Lions to camp, but says they are not working with England on penalties. England will also draw up a penalty order before taking spot-kicks, but it will be revised based on who is on the field at the end of extra time.
Germany and the Netherlands were defeated on penalties on Monday night, but the result is a direct warning for England, who cannot underestimate the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Jarrell Quansah limped off for England against the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Image: Getty)
Tuchel said of the two shocks: “I think in a way it calms us down. It’s close. In the World Cup, the team is well-trained, the team defends at the highest level. It’s difficult for teams to break teams. For me, it almost helps calm us down to accept the situation.”
If England advance by defeating the Democratic Republic of the Congo, they will face the winner of Mexico and Ecuador in the round of 16 in Mexico City (kick-off at 2am on Wednesday).
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive Mirror Football content every day. Community members also receive special offers, promotions, and advertisements from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can always check out. If you are interested, please read our privacy notice.
